Political leaders must be realistic in the promises they make to citizens to avoid public disappointment and governance challenges, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has said.
Speaking at a forum at the University of Ghana last Wednesday, Dr Opoku Prempeh stressed that effective governance requires preparation, strong support networks and the ability to deliver on commitments made to the electorate.
He said integrity remains a critical quality in leadership, noting that public trust is built when leaders fulfil the promises they make.
“Integrity matters because it ensures you do what you say or promise to the people,” he stated.
The former Education Minister also advised aspiring politicians to be resourceful, financially prepared or supported by strong networks, stressing that political leadership demands far more than ambition.
Forum on leadership and governance
The event, dubbed Time with the Politician, is part of an ongoing series jointly organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana and the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana.
The forum provides students with an opportunity to engage directly with experienced political leaders on issues ranging from public leadership and governance to policymaking and the legislative process.
Reflecting on his tenure as Minister of Education, Dr Opoku Prempeh said he approached the role with the mindset that failure was not an option, describing the position as both challenging and rewarding.
He identified management as one of the biggest challenges in political leadership, arguing that weak management structures often lead to inefficiencies within institutions. According to him, the Ministry of Education, as the country’s human resource backbone, requires particularly strong systems to function effectively.
While he indicated that he would not want to return to the ministry because of the pressures associated with the role, he said he remains committed to contributing to education policy through other avenues.
Among the achievements he highlighted was the management of the education sector for four years without any major strike action by labour unions.
Focus on technical education
Dr Opoku Prempeh also cited Germany’s technical education system as an important model that influenced reforms in Ghana’s technical and vocational education sector.
He expressed concern over what he described as a gradual shift by some technical universities away from their core mandate, with institutions increasingly offering programmes such as business administration at the expense of technical disciplines.
He further noted that although government had invested in equipment for technical institutions, limited technical expertise sometimes affected the effective use of those resources.
On university governance, he argued that long-serving administrative officials, including registrars and finance officers, often provide institutional stability because of their continuity, unlike vice-chancellors who serve fixed terms.
Touching on corruption, Dr Opoku Prempeh said political and societal pressures frequently contribute to unethical practices in public office, describing corruption as a systemic challenge that requires broader reforms.
He added that many governance problems within ministries are technical in nature and can only be addressed through competent leadership and strong managerial expertise. According to him, effective governance ultimately depends on appointing capable ministers and technocrats to key positions.
Bridging theory and practice
The Country Representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana, Anna Lena Sabroso-Wasserfall, said the Time with the Politician series was created to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical political experience.
She explained that while political science offers students theoretical frameworks and analytical tools, politics in practice is shaped by real-world decisions, negotiations, leadership challenges and difficult trade-offs.