Vice Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has said the decision of the flag bearer of the party to select her as a running mate is an indication of his respect for women.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University Cape Coast was selected by the former president to partner him into the 2020 presidential elections.
In her first major public address since her nomination, Professor Nana Opoku-Agyemang praised the former president for his recognition of the contribution of women in governance and nation building through her selection as running mate, a gesture she said signifies respect for women and assured Ghanaian women will not forget.
“Your Excellency John Mahama, your singular decision to select me as your running mate has generated a whole web of responses and debates. But importantly, it is a new focal point for girls and women; you have respected women; the women of Ghana will not forget; the youth will remember; generations to come will commit your decision to memory and make it a reference point; we will partner with our men and youth, as we have always done, and work hard to achieve peace in our land, because that is the best way to respond to this high recognition,” she said.
She noted that her selection to partner the former president will motivate a lot of women to vote and was quick to add that “We do not intend to disappoint you.”
Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang further disclosed her intention to open opportunities for many women in government if she eventually occupies the office of vice president.
“Making history is gratifying; but what really matters is not to be first through the door. What matters is to hold the door open for those behind us and create other avenues for self-actualization for many more. That is the work of the next four years.”
Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang is the current Africa Board Chairperson of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). She has been a FAWE member since 2014 and was Minister of Education in Ghana under the erstwhile Mahama administration.
