Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
Presidential hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, says his vision to confront poverty head-on and restore dignity to the Ghanaian worker is what distinguishes his bid for the party’s flagbearership ahead of the January 31 contest.
Addressing party delegates during his nationwide campaign tour, Dr. Adutwum argued that the country’s biggest challenge, more than six decades after independence, remains the failure to eradicate poverty and improve living standards in a sustainable way.
He said successive governments have underestimated the Ghanaian voter by assuming that politics thrives on “thrills and fanfare” rather than practical solutions, a mistake he believes has often cost parties at the polls.
“If you are in a country where the salary of a teacher cannot buy a car, cannot comfortably pay school fees for his or her children and cannot meet basic household bills, then that country has not progressed,” he said.
According to him, the daily economic struggles of ordinary Ghanaians reflect deep structural problems that require bold, people-centred policies rather than rhetoric.
Dr. Adutwum told delegates that while all aspirants seeking the NPP ticket are capable, their choice should be guided by conviction and a clear sense of the future rather than sympathy.
“Don’t vote for me because you pity me,” he cautioned and added, “Vote for me because what I am telling you will change your life for the better and make your future brighter. A vote for me is a vote for your future.”
He said his campaign is anchored on his track record in public service and a clear plan for transforming both the party and the country. “I always tell delegates what I have done and what I can do,” he noted, insisting that leadership must be measured by results and readiness, not promises alone.
Dr. Adutwum’s message has resonated with party faithful across several regions. In constituencies such as Kwabre East, and Bosome Freho in the Ashanti Region as well as Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region, he received what he described as overwhelming support, with delegates encouraging him to pursue his vision for a stronger NPP and a more hopeful Ghana.
Similar sentiments were echoed during his engagements in Tamale Central and Sagnarigu in the Northern Region, where there was a shared belief that Ghana’s progress must reach every region, community and family.
His tour also took him to the Volta Region, including Agortime-Ziope, Ho West and Ho Central, where he expressed gratitude for what he called “warmth and honest conversations.”
Dr. Adutwum said leadership begins with listening and pledged to serve with humility and integrity if given the nod.
NPP Decides
The former Education Minister, who is the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, is among the high-profile contenders seeking the mandate of 211,849 delegates to lead the NPP for the 2028 general election.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, whose campaign blends technocratic credentials, a strong education record and an unshaken belief that internal elections are decided not by surveys but by delegates on voting day.
He enters the race as something of an unconventional frontrunner. Unlike some of his rivals who have dominated public discourse with sharp rhetoric or expansive political machinery, he has run a largely restrained campaign, projecting himself as a unifier rather than a factional leader.
He has repeatedly stressed that he has avoided personal attacks on fellow aspirants, arguing that such an approach better positions him to heal the party after what is expected to be a bruising contest.
At the heart of his campaign is a narrative of service rooted in education and diaspora engagement. In his declaration to party faithful, Dr. Adutwum framed his bid as a response to “a lifelong call” to serve with “integrity, vision and results.”
He traced his political and professional journey from his role as Vice Chairman of the NPP in California, where he helped mobilise resources for the party, to his decision to leave a comfortable life in the United States at the request of then-candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
That return to Ghana marked a defining phase of his public career. As Deputy Minister and later substantive Minister for Education, Dr. Adutwum became one of the most visible faces of the Akufo-Addo administration, particularly through the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy.
His tenure also saw an aggressive push for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
Several STEM schools equipped with modern laboratories were established across the country, which reinforces his long-held belief that national transformation begins with “transforming minds” and preparing Ghana for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A Daily Guide Report