Profile of Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Ghana’s First Female Vice President

Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang born on 22nd November 1951 in Cape Coast, Ghana is Ghana’s First Female Vice President.

She is an academician and Ghana’s former Minister for Education in Ghana.

She was appointed in 2013 by President John Mahama after the 2012 Ghanaian general election and served until January 2017 when the Nana Akufo-Addo administration was elected to power. She is a member of the National Democratic Congress.

AGE

She is currently 73 years old. She will be 74 in November 2025.

HUSBAND

Her marital affairs is currently not available at the media space.

Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang Biography: Age, Husband, Children, Net Worth, Education

CHILDREN

1. Kweku Opoku-Agyemang, PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison

2. Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang, PhD in English literature from West Virginia University

3. Adwoa Opoku-Agyemang, PhD in comparative literature from the the University of Toronto

EDUCATION

Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang attended Anglican Girls’ Secondary School at Koforidua and Aburi Presby Girls’ School.

She then had her secondary education at the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast from 1964 to 1971. She completed her B.Ed.(Hons) in English and French at the University of Cape Coast in 1977 and obtained her Masters and Doctorate degrees from York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1980 and 1986, respectively.

WORK

She taught and worked at the University of Cape Coast, starting in 1986. She has held various academic positions, including Head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Warden of Adehye Hall, Valco Trust Fund Postgraduate Hostel, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

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Since 1997, she has held the position of academic director of the School for International Training in the History and Cultures of the African Diaspora.

From 2008-2012 she was the University’s Vice-Chancellor. In March 2007, she was one of five scholars selected to deliver presentations during the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

In October 2009, she was elected Ghana’s representative to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Ahead of the 2012 general elections, Jane Opoku Agyemang moderated the debate with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

Between February 2013 and January 2017, she served as the education minister of Ghana. Opoku Agyemang has been honoured with honorary degrees from the University of West Indies and Winston-Salem University. She has also received an award for global leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Political Life

• 2013: Appointed as Minister of Education by President John Mahama, making significant strides in educational policy and infrastructure.

• 2013-2017: Served as Education Minister, overseeing reforms like converting polytechnics into technical universities and initiating the Progressive Free Senior High School program.

• 2020: Became the first woman to be selected as a running mate for a major political party (NDC) in Ghana for the presidential election, partnering with John Mahama.

• 2020: Campaign focused on promoting gender balance, sustainable development, and youth-centered policies.

• 2024: Re-nominated as running mate for the NDC in the 2024 elections, again alongside John Mahama, marking her as the first woman to be nominated twice by a major party for this position.

• December 2024: Elected as Ghana’s first female Vice President-elect, breaking a significant gender barrier in national politics.

NET WORTH

It is estimated that she is worth over $2 million.