FROM CLASSROOM TO POLITICS: INTRODUCING GHANA’S FIRST FEMALE VICE PRESIDENT, JANE OPOKU-AGYEMANG
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On Tuesday, President John Mahama was sworn in in Ghana’s capital, Accra, amid a frenzied atmosphere.
Professor Jane Opoku-Agyemang, 73, the just sworn-in vice president, was the center of attention.
As the nation’s first elected female vice president, Opoku-Agyemang created history.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, William Ruto of Kenya, Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon, along with other dignitaries from various fields, attended the inauguration.
Mahama, who was president from 2012 to 2017, made promises during the ceremony to “reset” Ghana, renegotiate some aspects of the IMF agreement, and implement a “24-hour” economy in order to create jobs, which is a top priority for many younger people.
The key facts concerning the recently sworn-in vice president, who became the first woman to serve in the position, are highlighted in this report .
1. Professor Jane Opoku-Agyemang was born on November 22, 1951.
- She studied at the Anglican Girls’ School in Koforidua and the Aburi Presby Girls’ School. Her secondary education was completed at Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast between 1964 and 1971.
- In 1977, she graduated with a B.Ed. (Hons) in English and French from the University of Cape Coast.
- She received a Diploma in Advanced Studies in French from the University of Dakar and later earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees from York University in Toronto, Canada, in 1980 and 1986, respectively.
- She held the position of Minister of Education in the country from February 2013 to January 2017.
- She is a distinguished full professor of Literature.
- She became the first female Vice-Chancellor of a state university in Ghana before later assuming the role of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cape Coast.
- In March 2007, she was one of five scholars chosen to present at the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
- In October 2009, she was appointed as Ghana’s representative on the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
- In preparation for the 2012 general elections, Jane Opoku Agyemang moderated a debate with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
- During the December 2020 Ghanaian presidential election, she was chosen by John Mahama as his running mate for the NDC party.
- After the election loss, she returned to academia, and in August 2024, resigned as the Vice-Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa in Zimbabwe to re-enter politics.
- She was selected once again as John Mahama’s running mate in 2024 and won, making history as the first female Vice President of Ghana.
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