The Wikipedia captured her trajectory as follows:
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.
On 26 October 2018, she became Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa located in Zimbabwe.
She has served on many local and international boards and committees such as the Centre for Democratic Governance, (CDD-Ghana), the editorial board of the Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora (Africa World Press Inc. USA), the Africa Initiative in Canada, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons as an Eminent Citizen.
Opoku-Agyemang is an author. Her focus areas includes Literature with a focus on Women from Ghana, Oral literature in Ghana and Africa, Communication Skills and Issues in the African Diaspora. As an academic she has written and published in scholarly journals and presented articles at various conferences including at the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and at the Inaugural Lecture to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2015, as Education Minister, she published and launched a five volumes collection of published folktales titled ‘Who told the most incredible story?”’
A key focus area during her tenure was empowering girls and advocating for gender equity in education. Her leadership drove the implementation of policies that tackled gender disparities, promoted higher female enrolment and retention rates, and empowered girls through education. Her initiatives played a pivotal role in creating more inclusive opportunities for young women across Ghana.
Additionally, she led the conversion of 10 polytechnics across the regions into technical universities, a bold initiative that elevated the status of these institutions, broadening their academic scope and enhancing vocational education. This reform was instrumental in aligning Ghana’s educational framework with global trends, equipping students with practical skills for a competitive job market.
During her tenure, Opoku-Agyemang initiated the construction of 124 Community Day Senior High Schools, known as “E-Blocks,” to improve access to secondary education in underserved areas. By the end of her term, 50 schools were completed and operational, providing modern facilities such as science laboratories, libraries, and ICT centres. This initiative significantly expanded educational opportunities, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities, and underscored her commitment to addressing disparities in access to quality education.
Opoku-Agyemang oversaw the completion of key infrastructure at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, including the School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, a hostel block, and staff accommodation at its Sokode campus. The university was inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama in November 2015, underscoring the government’s commitment to expanding access to quality higher education and supporting the training of health professionals to address national healthcare needs.
She also played a critical role in establishing the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) in the Eastern Region. She facilitated the passage of the enabling Bill in Parliament and secured funding for the university. In December 2016, President John Mahama officially cut the sod for the construction of the UESD’s Somanya campus.
Vice presidential campaign
Opoku-Agyemang was selected as the presidential running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on 6 July 2020 for Ghana’s December 2020 General elections. She became the first female running mate of the two major political parties in Ghana. Her selection by the flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress was applauded by women groups and women activists as a positive sign to the Ghanaian political scene to promote gender balance and equality.
She appealed to Ghanaians to vote for change and promised to use her office as vice president to influence sustainable development and practical youth-centred policies. Her campaign message was devoid of attacks on opponents. Her intensive campaign in the coastal communities and her home region, the Central Region yielded results as the NDC won most of the constituencies they had lost in 2016. The NDC also won 9 out of the 16 regions in Ghana including the major battleground, Greater Accra.
The NDC National Executive Committee, on 7 March 2024, officially endorsed Opoku-Agyemang again as the running mate for the party’s flagbearer, ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Opoku-Agyemang became the vice president–elect after Mahama won the 2024 presidential election.
On 7 January 2025, Opoku-Agyemang was sworn in as the Vice President of Ghana, becoming the first female to hold the office. The ceremony took place at Independence Square in Accra, where she took the Oath of Allegiance and the Vice President’s Oath before Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. Her appointment marked a significant moment in Ghana’s political history, as she became the first woman to assume the role of Vice President in the country’s history.
Opoku-Agyemang has been honoured with honorary degrees from the University of the West Indies and Winston-Salem University. She has also received an award for Global leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She received the Officer of the Order of the Volta award for Academic Distinction in 2011 by President John Atta Mills and Ghana Women of Excellence Award in the Education category due her contribution to the development and promotion of quality education in Ghana. She was acknowledged for Outstanding Performance in Advancing International Education, School for International Training, Vermont, USA on two occasions.
In 2020, she was named among the 40 Most Inspirational Female Leaders in Ghana for serving as a role model for women in Ghana and in Africa. In January 2023, she was listed among the 100 most reputable Africans.
It is believed that her antecedents and wholesale performances in all the offices she had previously held, will come to bear as she studiously assists Mahama to reignite the 24hour economy he is known for.
