A Senior Lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has declared his intention to contest the upcoming Presidential race of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in November 2023.
Eric Sakyi Nketiah who hails from Sunyani in the Bono Region and teaches various aspects of History at the Department of History Education (DHE) in the Faculty of Social Science Education (FSSE) of the University.
The governing NPP has set November 4, 2023, as the date for its presidential primaries to select a flagbearer for the general elections in 2024.
However, if more than five candidates file to run in the primaries, the party will call a Special Congress on August 26.
The nomination period for the presidential primaries will begin on May 26 and end on June 24, 2023.
So far, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central, Kwabena Agyepong, former General Secretary of the party, Alan K. Kyerematen, former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, former Agric Minister and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia are personalities known to have shown interest in leading the NPP to the next general elections.
Eric Sakyi Nketiah began his academic career in 2004 as a Demonstrator at the Department of History at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). In 2005, he became Senior Research Assistant at UCC upon completion of a Master of Philosophy (MPhil.) degree in History before finally moving to UEW in 2007 as a Lecturer.
For his Bachelor’s degree, he studied English and History at the University of Cape Coast.
He had his high school education at the prestigious St. Peter’s Senior High school, Nkwatia-Kwahu, from 1989-1996 where he did both the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level examinations in 1994 and 1996 respectively.
Eric Sakyi Nketiah was involved in student activism and leadership activities and developed his interest in leadership activism whilst a student.
He has served on the governing boards and committees of a few rights institutions and Christian organizations including the Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), the Academic Board of UEW as well as the Board of the Faculty of Social Science Education (FSSE) in his capacity as the Head of the Department of History Education among others.
He was the youngest Ghanaian Academic/ Historian to have been appointed as Head of a Department for the study of history in Ghana.
The youngest person to have been elected president of UTAG-UEW in 2019.
The first UTAG-UEW President to have initiated a real estate project and to have successfully rolled it out. The first to win an election by beating an incumbent UTAG-UEW President.
The youngest Lecturer to win the UTAG-UEW Presidency back-to-back during his reelection bid in September, 2021 and the youngest lecturer to have been elected by Convocation in February 2020 at age forty-two years to serve on the University of Education, Winneba’s Governing Council among other achievements.
By Vincent Kubi