The Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has called for a deliberate nurturing of a crop of leaders to take the country forward.
Dr. Prempeh, who is also the MP for Manhyia South and is popularly known as ‘NAPO’, made this call at the 13th Congregation of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) in Accra on Saturday, following the conferment on him by the university of an honourary Doctorate of Humane Letters (DHL) for his leadership as the Minister of Education in the first term of President Akufo-Addo’s administration.
Recounting his experience as Education Minister, Dr. Prempeh referred to the sensitivity of education issues because of their impact on the nation and recalled that no two days were ever the same.
“At one moment, it is teachers or students on the verge of a strike. The next, it could be a challenge with the computerized school placement system, a collapsed school building leading to casualties or an outbreak of an infectious disease in a school. Added to this is the relationship with the various teacher and student unions, as well as vigorous policy debates on a range of issues. In all the aforementioned, with a good, dedicated, committed, resourceful team, we managed teachers, students, non-teaching staff, unions, parents and all others successfully,” he stated.
Reflecting on the issue of leadership, the Minister stated that his time in public office has taught him important lessons, that leadership requires a person who has integrity, character, fairness and compassion.
It also requires one who is calm, resilient, a resolute team player who is decisive and results-oriented but above all, one willing to push a transformational agenda and to do right by God and country. He reiterated the importance of ensuring that our country’s next crop of leaders is properly nurtured.
“As a society, our collective security lies in the people we choose to lead us, to make decisions on our behalf, to protect us and to ensure our well-being. It is crucial therefore that we nurture the right leaders to ensure that they are of the right calibre for the task. What this means is that we must deliberately treat leadership grooming with all the urgency that it deserves, right from school, to instil it in our young people,” Dr. Prempeh declared.
The Special Guest of Honour at the event was the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. The event, which saw various students from the Graduate Studies School and the LLB programmes graduate, was attended by a cross-section of Ghanaians, including traditional rulers, Members of Parliament and other state officials.
