Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program Alumnus: A case study with Ghana’s former Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Prempeh
The Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program is a unique, non-prescriptive Program designed to support appointed Ministers in doing what they do, serving their countries. The Program provides a space for leaders to reflect, define their priorities, share experiences, exchange knowledge, and build lasting networks.
At the heart of the Program and its in-person Forums is a global community of former and current government leaders. This network allows participants to draw on real-world experience, learning directly through case studies and peer advising, from those who have navigated similar challenges and delivered impact in their own countries.
Dr.Matheqw Opoku Prempeh aka Napo
This year, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a distinguished alumnus of the Program (2017), and former Minister for Education in Ghana (2017-2021), returned to the Forum to share his experience as Minister with current participants.
When appointed, Dr. Prempeh was tasked by his President to deliver Free Senior High School (Free SHS) in his country, a new policy program that would provide free education, paying for a total of 41 items, including tuition, meals, textbooks, and boarding for Ghanaian children qualified for secondary education. Appointed in February 2017, he attended the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program in June of the same year. By September 2017, just seven months after his appointment, Dr. Prempeh launched Free SHS nationwide and, consequently, increased SHS attendance in Ghana.
As Minister for Education, he led reforms in secondary education, successfully fulfilling his mandate and leaving a legacy. Recognized for his achievements, Dr. Prempeh was awarded the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program’s Medal of Achievement in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, the award was presented virtually. This year, during the Forum, he finally received the honor in person. As a Program alumnus, Dr. Matthew Prempeh says:
“Harvard opened my eyes to delivery units, stakeholder mapping, and rapid implementation. It showed me how to track every detail, so nothing slipped through. That’s how we launched Free SHS in just seven months. My participation in the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program gave me top-notch knowledge and skills in leadership, governance, and management. I got the opportunity to hear and learn firsthand the success stories and the pitfalls to avoid from a wide range of current and former ministers from across the globe. The programme also provided a network and a pool of experts to contact in times of need. Overall, the programme gave me the needed confidence to execute my mandate as Minister of Education successfully.”
The Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program continues to work with government leaders like Dr. Prempeh to foster an environment of peer learning, trust, and shared leadership to strengthen the capacity of government leaders to deliver results that matter most to their people.
Because of his transformative leadership as Minister for Education, Minister Prempeh says, “In the first year of Free SHS, dropout rates in the South fell to match the North. Over 100,000 students each year, who would have been on the streets, were now in school
