PHOTO:Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
Ghana’s Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has rejected the notion that foreign aid to Africa is an act of generosity, arguing that the continent continues to lose more wealth than it receives.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Harvard Kennedy School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Prof. Opoku-Agyemang engaged with students studying public policy and governance, offering a deep dive into Ghana’s political landscape and the broader realities of global economic relations.
The students, in Ghana as part of an exchange programme, were particularly interested in the country’s democratic evolution. Ghana transitioned to constitutional democracy in 1992 following years of military rule and has since been widely regarded as one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
“This is not the kind of journey you take all by yourself,” the Vice President said, reflecting on the nation’s democratic progress. “Many people have come before you. They’ve all made their input, and you learn from them.”
Acknowledging the contentious nature of democracy, she urged political stakeholders to embrace the strengths of different perspectives rather than allow division to take hold.
“The first thing you need to be aware of is that democracy is contentious,” she noted. “But if we piece society together, taking the best from all, it becomes a strong antidote to division.”
Africa’s Wealth Outflow Cannot Be Ignored
Shifting the conversation to global economic relations, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang challenged long-standing perceptions of foreign aid, pushing back against the idea that assistance to Africa is a unilateral act of goodwill.
“I’ve heard the president of the country you are studying in slashing aid,” she said, referring to recent cuts in US foreign assistance. “One of the questions he hasn’t asked himself is – how much leaves our continent for his country? He hasn’t asked himself that. They think it’s just charity. It is not! At the right time, we will also take our action, and it will not be funny.”
Her remarks underscored the long-debated issue of wealth extraction from Africa—through resource exploitation, tax avoidance by multinational corporations, and capital flight—that often surpasses the amount received in aid or investment.
As Ghana’s first female Vice President, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang has consistently emphasized inclusive development, with a particular focus on addressing inequalities affecting marginalized communities.
The delegation’s visit highlighted Ghana’s role as a key case study in democratic governance and economic policy, reinforcing the country’s significance in global discourse on development and political stability.
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