Chancellor Sir Sam Jonah has hailed what he describes as Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang’s unbroken record of integrity throughout her decades of public service.
According to the renowned businessman, this is an increasingly rare quality in public life.
Addressing the Distinguished Fellow Award Ceremony at the University of Cape Coast, Sir Sam Jonah noted the absence of controversy in the Vice President’s long career spanning academia and national governance.
“Throughout her entire public life, from the lecture halls of this University to the highest offices of national governance, Professor Opoku-Agyemang has maintained an unblemished record,” he said. “Not a single scandal. Not a whisper of controversy.”
The Chancellor placed this observation within the broader context of challenges facing public institutions and trust in leadership.
“In a world where power so often corrodes, and where public trust so often frays, she has navigated the full complexity of leadership with her honour completely intact,” Sir Sam Jonah stated. “That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is no small thing. That is, in fact, everything.”
He proceeded to distinguish between different forms of public recognition, suggesting that integrity carries particular weight.
“A person of achievement inspires admiration. A person of integrity inspires trust. Professor Opoku-Agyemang is both — and that rare combination is precisely why this honour is not only fitting, but necessary,” he explained.
The Chancellor further reflected on the significance of such examples in contemporary Ghanaian public life.
“In these times — when trust in public institutions is tested, when cynicism threatens to become the default posture of citizens toward their leaders — her example shines as a beacon,” Sir Sam Jonah observed.
“She reminds us, by the simple act of living as she has lived, that principled leadership is not a relic of a nobler age. It is possible. It is practised. It is present among us today. And it is vital — utterly vital — for Ghana’s progress, unity, and future.”
MyJoyOnline
