Kennedy Agyapong, New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, has refuted claims suggesting he lacks the necessary economic expertise to lead the nation.
According to him, during his A-level education, he achieved good grades in economics.
Furthermore, he pursued economics at Fordham University, where he achieved a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.84.
"I obtained an A in economics and a B in economics at the A-level. I also pursued economics at Fordham University, where I achieved a GPA of 3.84,” he said reacting to an academic who questioned his understanding of the economy.
Despite his high GPA, Agyapong did not complete university opting to pursue his business and political aspirations over getting his first degree.
Speaking in an interview on Takoradi-based Skyy Power FM on October 13, 2023, he added that his accomplishments were not limited to academia disclosing that he has appeared on the prestigious American program "Who's Who" twice.
“I had the privilege of appearing on the American 'Who's Who' program twice. What does Amakye know about me? What does he know? I have the evidence, and I can prove it to you. He doesn’t know anything about me.
“I went to Adisadel College from Assin Dompem LA Middle School and you Amakye, can you tell me that I am a dumb person? I can easily prove him wrong because President Rawlings, did he do economics, but if we are talking about those who have developed Ghana with firm hands President Rawlings is among them,” he added.
Kennedy was responding to a Senior Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Kwasi Amakye Boateng, who had predicted that Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia have a better chance than Kennedy Agyapong because of his economics background.
Dr. Amakye Boateng said he would be surprised if delegates of the NPP vote for Kennedy Agyapong, who emerged second in the super delegates' conference.
“It’s a one-horse race and a straight win for Dr. Bawumia. I will be surprised if people in the NPP vote for Kennedy Agyapong. Kennedy Agyapong socially, traditionally, intellectually, he’s not a presidential material, and this must show. Ghanaians must demonstrate that we care about people who become our presidents.
“When you go into the literature of development, especially those that bother on the development of poor countries, there’s one key argument about leadership; there’s a short statement that says leadership matters, and that political leaders in such countries should be knowledgeable, at least in economics. They should be knowledgeably generally. I don’t know the last school Kennedy Agyapong attended and I don’t know what he learnt,” myjoyonline.com quoted him to have said.