Several records were set and broken on Tuesday, January 7, 2024, during the swearing-in of President John Dramani Mahama, but perhaps the most important record that may not be gaining enough attention is the swearing-in of a female vice-president.

For the first time since Ghana became a republic on July 1, 1960, the country has a female vice-president in the person of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, now the second most powerful person in the country.

From the very respected, intellectual, and meticulous career in academia, Professor Opoku-Agyemang dared to veer into politics, which has a reputation for being reserved for supposedly corrupt people. The academic did not let the ‘dirty politics’ reputation sway her determination to be involved in the governance process of the country, and today she has risen to the second most important office in Ghana.

One of the most heartwarming moments from Tuesday’s event was seeing a female Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, swearing in a female vice-president. From the high table of the inauguration, where the four most important, most powerful people in Ghana - the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Chief Justice - were seated, there were two women and two men.

Ghanaian girls should now know no boundaries. From seeing Ghana’s first female Chief Justice, in the person of Justice Georgina Wood, in 2007; and the first female Speaker of Parliament in 2009, in the person of Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, they have now seen the country’s first female vice-president.

Becoming Ghana’s first vice-president is not the only glass ceiling broken by Professor Opoku-Agyemang.

She has, through her career, broken many records in her political and academic journeys, including being the first female vice-chancellor in Ghana.

In 2008, Professor Opoku-Agyemang became the first woman to serve as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), a premier academic institution in Ghana.

She is also the first female to be appointed as the running mate of the two major political parties in Ghana - the NDC and the NPP. In 2020, Opoku-Agyemang achieved yet another milestone as the first woman selected as a running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and again in 2024.

Partnering with John Dramani Mahama, she became a symbol of progress and inclusion, inspiring countless women to aspire to leadership roles in Ghana’s political landscape.

Profile of Professor Opoku-Agyemang:

Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was born on November 22, 1951, in Cape Coast as Jane Naana Sam. She has three children, namely Dr. Kweku Opoku-Agyemang, Dr. Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang, and Dr. Maame Adwoa Opoku-Agyemang.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang attended Anglican Girls' Secondary School at Koforidua and Aburi Presby Girls' School. She then had her secondary education at the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast from 1964 to 1971. She completed her B.Ed. (Hons) in English and French at the University of Cape Coast in 1977 and obtained her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and 1986 respectively.

Academic Career:

She taught and worked at the University of Cape Coast, starting in 1986. She has held various academic positions, including Head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Warden of Adehye Hall, Valco Trust Fund Postgraduate Hostel, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research. Since 1997, she has held the position of Academic Director of the School for International Training in the History and Cultures of the African Diaspora.

From 2008-2012, she was the University’s Vice-Chancellor. In March 2007, she was one of five scholars selected to deliver presentations during the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. In October 2009, she was elected Ghana's representative to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Ahead of the 2012 general elections, Jane Opoku-Agyemang moderated the debate with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

Opoku-Agyemang has been honoured with honorary degrees from the University of West Indies and Winston-Salem University. She has also received an award for Global Leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Political Career:

Between February 2013 and January 2017, she served as Ghana’s Minister of Education after her appointment by John Dramani Mahama during his first term.

On July 6, 2020, she was selected as the presidential running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by Mahama - making her the first female vice-presidential candidate of the two leading political parties in the country - NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mahama stuck with Professor Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election despite losing with her in the 2020 election.

Watch the moment Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was sworn in as Vice President of Ghana





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