Matthew Opoku Prempeh (born 23 May 1968) is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party and a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Manhyia South Constituency in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. He is a former Minister of Education. He is popularly known as NAPO. He is currently the Minister of Energy.

Early life and education

Matthew Opoku Prempeh was born on 23 May 1968 in Ashanti New Town, a suburb of Kumasi, and hails from Pakyi No. 2 in the Ashanti Region. He started his basic education at KNUST Primary and continued to Prempeh College in Kumasi, Ashanti Region of Ghana, for his middle school education. He studied Human Biology and Medicine at

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a public University of Ghana that focuses on science and technology. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is the public university established in the country, as well a ...

(KNUST) and completed his MB CHB in 1994. He continued with post-graduate studies in MSc. Clinical Epidemiology at the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences in 1998 and at the

Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

where he studied Leadership and Government. In 2002, he pursued postgraduate training in surgery in the UK (MRCS).

Career

Prior to entering parliament, Prempeh served as CEO of Keyedmap Security Services Limited from 2004 to 2009. He is also a medical doctor and served as a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

from 1999 to 2003.

Politics

Member of parliament

As a Ghanaian parliamentarian, he represents Manhyia South in

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

, formerly representing Manhyia. He was first elected to parliament in 2008 and is a member of the

New Patriotic Party , logo = , colorcode = #132f7a , founder = , founded = 28 July 1992 , dissolved = , leader = Nana Akufo-Addo , chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...

. In 2016, he was re-elected with 35,958 votes, or 87.17% of the votes cast in the district. He was a member of the health committee and the appointments committee. Prempeh contested the

2020 Ghanaian general election General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2020. Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was re-elected in the first round after securing a majority of the votes. Former President John Dramani Mahama says he ...

as a parliamentary candidate for the Manhyia South constituency under the banner of the New Patriotic Party and won by a large margin.

Minister of Education

He was appointed by President

Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...

on 10 January 2017 to serve as Minister for Education in

. He served in that role for 4 years until 6 January 2021 when the tenure of the president and his ministers ended. In May 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo named Prempeh as one of the nineteen ministers who would form his cabinet. The names of the 19 ministers were submitted to the Parliament of Ghana and announced by the former Speaker of the House, Mike Ocquaye. As a Cabinet minister, Prempeh was part of the inner circle of the president and was to aid in key decision-making activities in the country. Prempeh also contributed to the educational sector of Ghana as a Minister of Education, such as improving the infrastructure,promoting vocational and technical education (TVET), and leading the government's flagship programme ''''FREE SHS'.

Minister of Energy

In 2021, the President of Ghana, Nana Akuffo-Addo, after being re-elected as President, named Dr. Mattew Opoku Prempeh as Minister of Energy. He had previously served as the Minister of Education for President Nana Akuffo-Addo's first term.

Committees

Prempeh is a member of the Defense and Interior Committee and also of the Appointments Committee.

Awards

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh was adjudged the best Minister in Ghana in 2017 and 2019. He was also the recipient of the 2020 Harvard Ministerial Medal of Achievement. In May 2021, the

University of Education Winneba A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate Degree. In July 2021, the

University of Professional Studies The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) formerly known as Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), is a public university in Ghana. The main campus is located in Accra. UPSA is the first university in Ghana to provide both academic ...

also awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. As a member of the Parliament of Ghana, he represents Manhyia South in

, formerly representing Manhyia. The

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the wide Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two campuses: the Southern Campus (O ...

is the latest institution to recognize Dr. Prempeh’s contributions to the development of Ghana and his immense service to the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Personal life

He identifies as a Christian and is the grandson of the former Ghanaian president,

John Kufuor John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008. Kufuor's career has been sp ...

. He is divorced. In May 2022, a group by the name of Friends of NAPO presented some educational materials to schools in the Manhyia South Constituency to mark his 54th birthday. Prempeh College named a dormitory block after him on 17 June 2023

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Opoku Prempeh, Matthew 1968 births Living people Education ministers of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology alumni Cabinet Ministers of Ghana Ghanaian MPs 2009–2013 Ghanaian MPs 2013–2017 Ghanaian MPs 2017–2021 Prempeh College alumni Ghanaian MPs 2021–2025 Ghanaian medical doctors New Patriotic Party politicians 21st-century Ghanaian politicians People from Ashanti Region Harvard Kennedy School alumni