Two leading members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration have been recognized for their respective roles in helping to develop the nation.

They are Education Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, aka Napo and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr Felix Anyah.

Napo was the proud recipient of the 2017 Best Minister in Ghana Award.

The top award was presented to the minister – who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South in the Ashanti Region – during a special ceremony at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.

This was during the Ghana Entrepreneur and Corporate Executive Awards 2018 held Saturday night.

The award was presented to him by the United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Porter Jackson, amidst cheers and applause from the audience.

Dedication

Napo dedicated the award to President Akufo-Addo for having the vision and belief that it is possible for education to be free for secondary school students in the country.

He also dedicated it to Ghanaians for also believing in the President’s vision that education can be free for students at the secondary school level to help minimize poverty in Ghana.



Free SHS Policy

The Free Education programme is a social intervention policy by the NPP administration, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, which makes it possible for secondary school students to go to school for free.

It started in September last year with the first-year students.

The social intervention programme, which was one of the key campaign messages of the NPP in 2016, also seeks to help more Ghanaians, irrespective of the financial status of their parents, to gain admission to senior high schools.

It also seeks to bridge the gap between the rich and poor in the country, stop student dropouts due to poverty and also expedite the transformational process of the country.

Before its introduction, several people, especially members of the now opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), who were then in government, expressed doubt as to whether a country like Ghana could make education free for secondary school students, since the policy is capital-intensive.

But under the leadership of Napo and his lieutenants at the Education Ministry, the policy has benefited thousands of students who otherwise could not have continued their education to the SHS level; and the next batch of beneficiary students would be enrolled in September this year.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Felix Anyah, added two prestigious awards to the stock of honours conferred on him over the years.



He was adjudged the Overall Best CEO and the Best Health Care CEO in the public sector for the year 2017 at the same event.

The award was in recognition of the “many acts of personal sacrifice” Dr. Anyah rendered to the Korle-Bu hospital and the country as a whole, since assuming office in 2017.

He was praised for “laying the foundation for the digitization” of the operations of the premier health facility in the country which includes the acquisition of two high-end new digital telephone PXB equipment to facilitate external and internal communications at the hospital.



During his tenure, the CEO also acquired an end-to-end ICT infrastructure, which will be installed for efficient bed management, improve security, minimize leakages and ensure efficient administration of the hospital.

His leadership was also said to have led to the “restoration” of various units of the hospital, such as the Surgical and Medical Emergency Units, among others.

Dr. Anyah, who was awarded among CEOs from different sectors, was said to have spearheaded part of the changes at Korle-Bu from his personal resources, though he had not received salary or allowance from the hospital for the past one year.

About 30 local entrepreneurs were also awarded for their contributions to the private sector.