Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Medical Doctor, Politician, former Minister

NationalityGhanaian

Profession Medical Doctor, Politician, former Minister

Nationality Ghanaian

About Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Matthew Opoku Prempeh, known universally as NAPO, is a Ghanaian medical doctor and politician whose tenure as Education Minister placed him among the most consequential holders of that office in the Fourth Republic. He represented the Manhyia South Constituency in the Ashanti Region from 2009 to 2025 and was the NPP's vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 general election. Born on 23 May 1968 in Pakyi No. 2, he qualified as a medical doctor before turning to politics. He later attended the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program, a senior executive education course for government ministers, which reinforced an analytical disposition that translated into a reputation for detail-oriented governance. He first won the parliamentary seat in 2008 and retained it in 2012, 2016, and 2020. The Manhyia South constituency covers part of Kumasi's most symbolically significant area, including territory adjacent to the Asantehene's palace, making it one of the NPP's most important Ashanti Region seats. President Akufo-Addo appointed him Education Minister in January 2017. His most significant achievement was the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, one of the administration's flagship manifesto commitments. The programme removed tuition fees for all public SHS students and drove enrolment from approximately 800,000 in 2016 to 1.2 million by January 2021. The rollout required a double-track system to manage the surge in numbers and drew criticism from the NDC over infrastructure and implementation speed, but the policy's popularity at the household level was broadly acknowledged across partisan lines. In 2021 Akufo-Addo reshuffled him to the Energy Ministry, where he oversaw petroleum sector management and power generation policy until the NPP's second term ended in January 2025. He was selected as Mahamudu Bawumia's running mate for the 2024 presidential election: the Mahama ticket won decisively, and Manhyia South also passed to a new MP, ending NAPO's sixteen-year parliamentary career.