By Seli Baisie
The National Council of Ghana’s governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has given unanimous approval to the nomination of Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh as the running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the 2024 presidential election.
Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party’s General Secretary, announced this decision following the council’s emergency meeting at Alisa Hotel in Accra on Thursday afternoon, July 4, 2024.
The National Council holds the final authority in endorsing the party’s running mate choice.
Dr. Bawumia, the NPP flagbearer, had completed extensive consultations with various party stakeholders regarding his selection of Dr. Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO.
NAPO, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and former Education Minister, is expected to bolster support within the party and across Ghana, particularly in the Ashanti region.
Profile of Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh
Born on May 23, 1968, in Ashanti New Town, Kumasi, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh hails from Pakyi No. 2 in the Ashanti Region. He began his education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Primary and continued to Prempeh College in Kumasi for his middle school education.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh studied Human Biology and Medicine at KNUST, earning his MB CHB in 1994. He furthered his education with a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology from the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences in 1998 and completed a Leadership and Government course at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, in 2002, he pursued postgraduate surgical training in the UK, obtaining the MRCS.
Before entering parliament, NAPO served as the CEO of Keyedmap Security Services Limited from 2004 to 2009. He is also a medical doctor and was a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2003.
