Ghana needs a period of national and political renewal to bridge the gap between its ambitions and its achievements, former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has said, arguing that both the nation and political actors must reassess their direction following recent setbacks.
Speaking on New Year’s Day during a fellowship service at the Church of Pentecost, Dr Adutwum contended that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in particular must undergo honest reflection following its crushing defeat in the December 2024 elections that saw President John Dramani Mahama return to power.
He said regrouping required unity and honest reflection on what had gone wrong, while refocusing meant setting clear priorities, including reclaiming political power where necessary to drive national development. For the NPP, refocusing is about capturing power for the transformation of our nation, he told reporters attending the New Year service.
Dr Adutwum acknowledged that Ghana had made giant strides since independence in 1957, but insisted progress had fallen short of the vision held by the country’s founding leaders including first President Kwame Nkrumah. Comparing Ghana’s development path with that of Singapore and South Korea, he argued the contrast highlighted a persistent gap between national aspirations and real outcomes.
When you look at where Singapore and South Korea have reached and where we are now, you can see clearly that there is a gap between our aspirations and our accomplishments, the Bosomtwe Member of Parliament (MP) stated. He argued that closing that gap would require deliberate commitment to transformation, not only through political competition but through national consensus and long-term planning.
The former minister’s remarks come as he campaigns for the NPP flagbearer position ahead of primaries scheduled for January 31, 2026. Five aspirants are vying for the party’s leadership including Dr Adutwum, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Dr Bryan Acheampong, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, all seeking to rebuild the party after its devastating electoral loss.
Dr Adutwum officially picked nomination forms for the NPP flagbearer race in August 2025 and has consistently framed his candidacy around education as a transformative force for national development. His campaign emphasizes what he describes as the Adutwum Factor, centered on using human capital development to wage war against poverty through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and technical training.
I want to see a transformed Ghana, with education as the driving force, just as Singapore, South Korea and China used education to build strong economies, he explained during a recent interview on Joy Learning TV’s News in Focus. He cited lessons from other nations, noting that Singapore reformed its mathematics curriculum while China invested in producing large numbers of engineers to accelerate industrialization and attract global manufacturers.
During his tenure as Education Minister from 2021 to early 2025, Dr Adutwum oversaw establishment of 35 STEM senior high schools and five STEM universities across Ghana, representing substantial infrastructure investment in technical education. His administration also supervised construction of 200 new schools and renovation of 1,000 existing facilities according to government reports.
The Association of Ghana Industries commended his efforts toward developing STEM education, calling it the surest way forward for the country’s industrial development. Dr Adutwum introduced initiatives including revamping technical and vocational education and training, expanding engineering programs at junior high school level and implementing measures to curb examination malpractice.
Among his notable personal initiatives, Dr Adutwum sponsored over 150 students from his Bosomtwe constituency to study engineering and medicine at various universities, with the first batch of 31 engineers graduating in October 2024. The scholarship package included tuition, accommodation, monthly stipends and laptops to aid studies, reflecting his commitment to producing 100 engineers and medical doctors from his personal resources.
The vision was motivated by financial challenges he faced growing up, which almost cost him the opportunity to attend secondary school but for the sacrifices of his elder brother and parents. He has since increased the target to meet rising demand for support, with medical students expected to complete their studies in coming years.
Speaking to members of the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC) in Sunyani earlier this month, Dr Adutwum framed his entry into politics as a divine calling to achieve what others consider impossible. God placed me in politics to make a difference, he told the congregation while outlining his vision for leading the NPP and potentially the nation.
When I became the Minister for Education, I decided to do what was impossible. We were building junior high schools that have biology, chemistry, physics and engineering labs, the Bosomtwe MP stated, emphasizing his record of transformative initiatives that industry leaders praised publicly.
Dr Adutwum has distinguished his campaign approach from what he characterizes as more confrontational political styles. My party is looking for somebody to lead, and I have offered myself to run as flagbearer. When you put me there in 2028, we’re going to contest the presidential campaign with ideas, not insults, he declared during his nomination filing in August 2025.
His spokesperson, Mr Opoku Mensah, outlined what he described as a people centered development vision anchored in education, skills and opportunity during a December 22 appearance on the Ghana Television (GTV) Breakfast Show. According to Mensah, Dr Adutwum’s philosophy begins with the belief that poverty is local and must be addressed at the community and individual levels.
He explained that Dr Adutwum intends to use education, particularly STEM and technical training, as a deliberate tool to empower Ghanaians to compete in the global economy. Among proposals outlined is annual training of engineers drawn from districts across the country, to ensure communities are equipped with technical capacity needed to attract and sustain industrial investment.
Mr Opoku Mensah noted that Dr Adutwum’s vision reflects lessons from countries including Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam, where deliberate investment in human capital transformed economies within a generation. He urged NPP delegates to view the January 31, 2026 presidential election as a decision about ideas, competence and long-term national direction.
Dr Adutwum also emphasized the need for value addition to Ghana’s natural and mineral resources, arguing that industrialization backed by robust education systems would increase national revenue while empowering individuals. We will add value to our raw materials and mineral resources to generate more revenue and provide jobs for our youth. This will help create millionaires and eventually billionaires in Ghana. For the nation to prosper, individuals must prosper, he stated.
The former minister has called on the government to extend stronger support to the Church of Pentecost for its remarkable contributions to education and national development. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 47th General Council Meeting of the Church at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa Fetteh in May 2025, Dr Adutwum commended the church for shaping values, nurturing communities and investing heavily in higher education.
He noted that faith based universities play a critical role in reducing the burden on public universities and government. If the church takes care of thousands of students at the university, then the government should at least take responsibility for one lecturer each, since it’s the church that is paying them, he explained, adding that if students had gone to public universities, the cost to government would have been huge.
Whether Dr Adutwum’s education centered platform resonates with NPP delegates remains uncertain, particularly given the party’s need to rebuild after losing the 2024 presidential election to the National Democratic Congress (NDC). His campaign strategy appears to prioritize retail politics and grassroots engagement, with church appearances offering direct access to organized communities.
The emphasis on ideas over insults, while appealing rhetorically, also carries risks as it positions Dr Adutwum as potentially less combative than opponents might be in Ghana’s often contentious political environment. Whether voters reward this approach or view it as weakness will likely shape his campaign’s trajectory as primaries approach in coming weeks.
His invocation of Singapore, South Korea and China as development models indicates familiarity with international success stories, though translating those lessons to Ghana’s specific context presents challenges that extend beyond educational reform into governance, economic policy and social transformation requiring broader national consensus.
