Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for a fundamental shift in Ghana’s approach to education, insisting that learning must translate directly into tangible national development.
She made the remarks while receiving the Distinguished Fellow Award from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), an institution she praised for its longstanding role in shaping the nation’s intellectual landscape.
In her acceptance speech, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reflected on Ghana’s historical investment in learning, noting that the very establishment of institutions like UCC—founded by Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah—underscored the country’s early belief in education’s transformative power.
However, she posed a critical challenge to scholars and students alike: “Higher education is a privilege, and we must constantly ask whether the knowledge we acquire truly serves the society that made it possible.”
The Vice President argued that education must move beyond abstract theory to become a practical engine for national progress. She urged all Ghanaians who have passed through the country’s academic institutions to view themselves as active contributors to the nation’s growth agenda.
“Our education must challenge us to make tangible improvements in our nation, so that we can take pride not only in our identity but in our collective capabilities,” she stated. “This responsibility does not belong only to scholars—it belongs to every person who benefits from our institutions.”
Calling for a reinforcement of Ghana’s foundational structures, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang emphasized the duty of every citizen to build upon the systems and ideas inherited from previous generations.
“We inherit systems, ideas, and institutions, and we must not only sustain them but strengthen them—contributing something of ourselves to leave them better than we found them,” she added.
