Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang

Currently President of the Forum for African women Educationalists and Chairperson of the Africa Board, Naana Jane E. S. Opoku-Agyemang is a Professor of Literature, School of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast. She has been Minister for Education, Ghana from January 2013-2017, and Vice Chancellor (President) of the University of Cape Coast (2008-2012), the first woman to hold the position of Vice Chancellor in Ghana. At the University of Cape Coast she was Head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dean of the Board of Graduate Studies and Founding Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research. She was the Academic Director of the School for International Training’s African Diaspora Program for eleven years. Professor Opoku-Agyemang has a BA (Hons) in French and English, a Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast; A Diploma in Advanced Studies in French from the University of Dakar; an MA and PhD in Literature from York University, Toronto, Canada. She is the recipient of many inter/national awards, including Officer of the Order of the Volta which is the highest award Ghana bestows on her citizens (for Academic Distinction); Ghana Women of Excellence Award (Category: Education); Doctor of Letters (DLitt) University of Cape Coast (Honoris Causa HC); Doctor of Humane Letters  (DLitt) [HC], Grand Valley State University, Michigan, USA (HC); Doctor of Humane Letters, (DLitt) [HC], Winston Salem State University, North Carolina, USA (HC); Doctor of Laws (LLD) University of the West Indies (HC);  Global Leadership Award, University of South Florida, USA; Twice recognized for Outstanding Performance in Advancing International Education, School for International Training, Vermont, USA. She has been member of many inter/national boards and committees including the College of Physicians and Surgeons as Eminent Citizen; the Centre for Democratic Governance, (CDD-Ghana) the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);.; Editorial Board, The Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora (Africa World Press Inc. USA); Africa Initiative, Canada; Adam Matthew Digital, UK. She has many publications on Women in Literature, Oral Literature in Africa (the narrative) and Issues in the African Diaspora. Professor Opoku-Agyemang has been twice a Fulbright scholar and is currently a member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and Fellow of the Commonwealth of Learning.  She is very happy with three adult children and two adorable grandchildren.