A Senior Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, says the Manhyia South MP, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh performed better as Education Minister than in his new role as Energy Minister.
Offering a comparative analysis of Dr. Prempeh’s appointments in the Akufo-Addo-led administration, he highlighted the Minister’s achievements and ongoing challenges.
His assessment comes after a survey by the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) revealed that Dr. Prempeh is widely preferred among party members to be the running mate to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Dr Prempeh secured 76.2% of the vote from the 5116 executives who participated in the survey.
During a discussion on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Dr. Asah-Asante acknowledged Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s efforts and contributions to the Education Ministry, particularly emphasising his role in implementing the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Despite some challenges with the policy, Dr. Asah-Asante believes Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s leadership in the education sector was commendable.
“You cannot say that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh did not perform when he was minister at the Education Ministry. For me, he performed although there were problems associated with the Free SHS policy,” he stated.
However, Dr. Asah-Asante noted a decline in performance during Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s current role as Minister of Energy.
He pointed out that persistent issues, particularly with the power supply, remain unresolved.
“With the Energy Ministry, again, he has performed but some problems are still lingering. In fact, in comparison, he performed better in the education ministry than in the energy ministry,” Dr. Asah-Asante remarked.
A critical issue raised was the ongoing problem of “dumsor,” a term used in Ghana to describe frequent and unpredictable power outages.
Dr. Asah-Asante criticised the misleading narratives about the state of the energy crisis, adding that, “With the Energy Ministry, we keep being deceived into believing that there is no dumsor but dumsor is alive today and that is an issue that he has to deal with.”
Dr. Asah-Asante also highlighted the challenges Dr. Prempeh faces in convincing the public of his capability to deliver as a potential vice-presidential candidate.
“How he is going to convince Ghanaians that he is the best candidate when he is given this position [Vice presidential candidate]? How will he deliver or show the public that he is the answer?” he asked.
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