Politics of Thursday, 28 March 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Bawumia's running mate: Asanteman Social Media Group declares support for NAPO

Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Asanteman Social Media Group, a pressure group that advances the interest of Asanteman has declared its total back for Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the running mate for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party in the 2024 elections.

NAPO’s name has featured prominently as one of three leading candidates for the running mate position of the New Patriotic Party.

A report by Asaase.com earlier this week, listed him alongside Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, representing the Bosomtwe Constituency and serving as the Minister for Education and Bryan Acheampong, representing Abetifi Constituency and serving as the Minister for Food and Agriculture as the trio under consideration for the post.

But in a statement issued on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, the group urged Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to appoint him as his partner for the elections, noting such a move will deliver the votes in the Ashanti Region.

The group outlined NAPO’s outstanding qualities that in their view make him a perfect partner for Dr Bawumia and the NPP in the December 7 elections.

Read the full statement below

Asanteman Social Media Group proudly announces its endorsement and support for Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh as the next Vice Presidential Candidate for the New Patriotic Party and God willing for Ghana. As trusted voices within our communities, we believe Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh possesses the qualities, experience, and vision necessary to lead our nation forward.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the people of Asanteman and Ghana as a whole. Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh exhibits a deep sense of belonging to his constituents and an unwavering commitment to the values we hold dear. He has shown exceptional leadership skills, a deep understanding of complex issues, and a willingness to collaborate across party lines to find solutions to the challenges facing our nation. In these dynamic times, it is more important than ever to have leaders who are compassionate, competent, and committed to the well-being of all citizens. We believe that Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh embodies these qualities and will work tirelessly to represent the interests of every individual, regardless of background or affiliation.

Born on May 23, 1968, to Oheneba Kwame Kyeretwie, Otumfuo Asantehene’s Apagyahene, and Madam Elizabeth Akosua Nyarko in Kumasi, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is the Minister for Energy and the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Manhyia South constituency in the Ashanti Region.

Dr. Prempeh popularly referred to as Napo (meaning the short form of Nana Poku) started his primary education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Primary School in Kumasi, (then University of Science and Technology (UST) Primary School) and proceeded to the prestigious Prempeh College in 1980 for his secondary education.

He thereafter gained admission into the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Human Biology in 1992 and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB, ChB) degree in 1995. Between 1990-1992, Napo served as the President of the KNUST chapter of the National Union of Ghanaian Students (NUGS). After serving as a House Officer at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from 1995 until 1997, Dr. Prempeh continued his education at the Erasmus University in The Netherlands, obtaining an M.Sc in Clinical Epidemiology in 1998. He proceeded to the United Kingdom to work, becoming a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow in 2002, and returning to Ghana in 2003 to pursue a career in business and politics.

Although Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh was active in student politics through his leadership at NUGS and other fields, his limelight into Ghana’s stormy political career came by way of running for Parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2008 general election and won the mandate to represent the people of Manhyia, the same year Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also cuts his teeth in frontline politics, aligning their destinies. Subsequently, the constituency was divided into two and he went on to become Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency in 2012. He retained the seat at the 2016 elections and again at the 2020 elections. Dr. Prempeh before entering mainstream politics was the Executive Chairman of Keyedmap Services Limited, Ghana, a private Security Firm in 2003 but resigned in 2009 after he joined the political race in Ghana in 2008 where he contested and won his first election to Parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party to represent Manhyia Constituency in Kumasi, Ashanti Region.

Following the victory of the NPP in the 2016 general elections he was re-elected with 86.17% of the votes cast in the Manhyia South constituency. Thereafter, Dr. Prempeh was appointed by President Akufo-Addo as Minister for Education from 2017 to 2021 with a guiding principle expressed in a quote “the bridge between poverty, wellbeing and prosperity is education, it is the shortest bridge”. During his tenure, he successfully led the team at the Ministry to deliver on the flagship education programme of the government, the Free Senior High School programme, to wide admiration even from his political opponents. His team also delivered on some reforms including; curriculum reforms, teacher reforms and several initiatives to promote and mainstream Technical, Vocational Training and Education (TVET), among others.

In the aftermath of the NPP’s victory at the 2020 general elections, President Akufo-Addo nominated Dr. Prempeh to serve as Minister for Energy. The minister, together with the heads of the various agencies under the energy sector, set some key objectives for the 2021 to 2024 period and commenced working systematically. The objectives include stable, realistic and universally accessible electricity, availability of fuel and realistic pricing of petroleum products, increased Crude Oil reserves to improve revenue, local content and local participation in the energy sector and Ghana’s Energy Transition.
With the unambiguous game plan, the minister set to work and made additions to Ghana’s total installed capacity for electricity. In 2020, the objective was set to realise intalled capacity of 5,018 Megawatts but moved to 5,231 Megawatts in 2021, surpassing the target. Additional power installations such as; Bridge Power generating 150 Megawatts, Bui Solar generating 50 Megawatts and Volta River Authority (VRA) Kaleo Solar generating 13 Megawatts were made under the watch of Dr. Prempeh.
In view of the fact that, renewable and nuclear energy development is important for Dr Prempeh such that, in 2021, there were various steps to strengthen that area with data collection and assessment to select a preferred site for the development of a nuclear power plant with evaluation of the expression of interest ongoing to select a vendor for the development of a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is committed to Ghana’s nuclear power programme and has promised technical support. In 2021, the National Energy Transition Committee was commissioned to draft a transition plan for Ghana by the end of the first quarter of this year.
In furtherance of enhancing Ghana’s energy installed capacity, the construction of three mini-grids at the Azizakpe, Aflive and Alorkpem islands in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region has commenced as part of efforts to electrify 50 island communities and hard-to-reach areas with renewable energy technologies, while the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) is being extended to include prioritized projects, such as solar streetlights and off-grid solar power projects for isolated communities.
On top of Dr. Prempeh’s agenda was NPA’s regulation of natural gas condensate fuel, integration of Natural Gas activities across the value chain to boost efficiency, increase the utilization of gas in the country and increase investment in the downstream.

More importantly, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh (Napo) is committed to working with the team at te Energy Ministry, Power Producing and Distribution companies to address the current challenge of power instability being experienced to bring relief to Ghanaians, which is a testament to the dedication and commitment to problem solving and providing solutions to complex challenges.

For us at the Asanteman Social Media Group corroborated by many Ghanaians, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh (Napo) is the finest and preferred choice of the grassroots within the NPP and Ghana as someone with the ability to get things done and fully compliment the qualities of NPP’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to deliver victory and break the 8 in the up coming elections 2024.


The Asanteman Media Group collectively urge Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to make the confident and popular decision of naming Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh as the Vice Presidential Candiate. Further, we encourage Ghanaian voters to support the candidature of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the upcoming election.

Thank you for the attention and consideration

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

Asanteman Media Group (AMG)
The AMG is made up of organizations and individuals on Social Media with media interest in covering news, documentaries, politics, development issues all connected to Asanteman and Ghana to promote interest, investments and policy dialogue towards sustainable development in Asanteman and Ghana.

Contact Person: Kwabena Nsafoa: 0247946301

Membership of the Asanteman Media Group on Social Media include;

AsantemanWeb

Asanteman News

Asanteman Kyidom

Asante Confederacy

The Asante Nation

Me Yɛ Asanteni

KOD Documentaries

Kwaben Nsafoa