54 Facts About NAPO

1. Born in Kumasi on Friday, May 23, 1968;
2. ‘NAPO’ is the short form of his traditional name, Nana Poku;
3. Grew up in Apagyafie, Ashanti New Town (Ashtown), Kumasi.
4. Father: Oheneba Kwame Kyeretwie (Late Apagyahene)
5. Paternal Grandfather: Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh II, (Late Asantehene). Grandson of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Asantehene; Grandnephew of Former President J A Kufuor and former Defence Minister Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor;
6. Had KG and Primary Education @ KNUST Primary School, Kumasi;
7. Attended Prempeh College, Kumasi, for his ‘O and A’ levels (1980-1987);
8. Was in Guggisberg House, Prempeh College;
9. Was Assistant House Prefect of Guggisberg House, Prempeh College;
10. Broke the jinx in Chemistry@ Prempeh College. His record A in Advanced Level Chemistry, was only broken after almost ten years;
11. A staunch Christian – Anglican. Also worships at Makers House Chapel International;
12. Was a Mass Server@ St. Anne’s Anglican Church, Ashtown, Kumasi;
13. Presented with the Anglican Diocese, Kumasi Church’s highest award: ‘The Bishop’s Badge of Honour’ and citation for outstanding and sterling performance in Parliament and in Politics in 2017;
14. Soft at heart – he wept at church in 2017 when Anglican Diocese, Kumasi presented him with a citation and an award.
15. Read Medicine at the KNUST (then UST);
16. Local NUGS President, KNUST 1990– 1991/1991 – 1992 and First Vice President NUGS-GHANA.
17. A ‘Continental’ – was in Unity Hall, KNUST;
18. Was a staunch and active member of Unity Hall’s ‘Always Around’, a biweekly open forum for political and current affairs discussions;
19. National Coordinator of first ever National Students Campaign Team of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo Political Tradition (1990-1993), forebear of TESCON;
20. Awarded MB,ChB degree in medicine from KNUST.
21. House Officer at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, (1995-1997);
22. Earned an MSc in Clinical Epidemiology from Erasmus University in the Netherlands (1998);
23. Worked as a medical doctor in the United Kingdom;
24. Appointed a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, United Kingdom (1999 – 2003);
25. Returned to Ghana in 2003 to pursue business interests and to pursue a career in politics;
26. Was CEO of Keyedmap Security Services Limited (2004 – 2009);
27. First became MP in 2009 after winning for Manhyia ;
28. Served as Director of Elections for New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2012;
29. Been MP for Manhyia South since 2013 following division of the constituency into North and South;
30. Appointed Minister for Education in 2017;
31. Initiated and saw to the implementation of 66 major reforms in a spate of four years to transform the education sector:
32. Successfully implemented government’s flagship Free SHS programme;
33. Under his leadership, 411 students of the first Free SHS batch obtained 8A1s in WASSCE to top West Africa;
34. Cleared Ghana’s indebtedness to UNESCO and reinstated the Commission into good standing after nearly four years nonparticipation due to lack of funds;
35. Re-established the office of the Permanent Delegation in Paris, which had been dormant for years.
36. Astute researcher and author: most recent book chapter – Dream big and then Deliver – In Letters to a New Minister of Education (2nd Ed). Edited/Published by F. M Reimers (2020);
37. Voted Best Minister in 2017, 2019 & 2020;
38. Retained his seat in Parliament in the 2016 and 2020 elections;
39. Appointed Minister for Energy in 2021;
40. Leading massive transformation in the energy sector: negotiated to reduce OCTP headline gas price, yielding $72m annual savings for consumers; completion and inauguration of the Pokuase Bulk Supply Station (BSP) in record time; 162 communities connected to national power grid; completion of the Kumasi-Kintampo section (Lot 1) of the 330kV Kumasi-Bolgatanga Transmission Line project; completion of Regional Boundaries Metering for nine ECG operational regions.
41. 2020 recipient of the Harvard University Ministerial Medal of Achievement;
42. Awarded an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership, September 2016, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
43. Awarded a certificate of completion for the Applying Behavioural Insights to the Design of Public Policy programme, September 2016, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
44. Awarded a certificate of completion for the Senior Executives in National and International Security programme, August 2016, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
45. Awarded a certificate of completion for the Senior Managers in Government programme, July – August, 2015, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
46. Awarded a certificate of completion for the Mastering Negotiation: Building Agreements across Boundaries programme, April, 2014, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
47. Awarded a certificate of completion for the Driving Government Performance programme, August 2013, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
48. Awarded a certificate of completion for A Cutting Edge of Development Thinking programme, May 2013, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
49. Awarded a certificate of completion for Global Change Agents: Leadership with Commitment, Creativity and Courage programme, May 2012, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
50. Awarded a certificate of completion for Leadership Decision Making programme, November 2011, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
51. Awarded a certificate of completion for Leadership in Development: Managing Change in a Dynamic World programme, June 2011, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.
52. Appointed Honourary & Meritorious Member of UN Mission 4.7 High-Level Advisory Group (June 2021);
53. Awarded Honourary Doctor of Letters by University of Education Winneba (2021);
54. Awarded Honourary Doctor of Humane Letters by University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) (2021).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

Credit: BT Facebook page