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Eric Opoku (politician)

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Hon.
Eric Opoku
MP and Minister of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Ghana)
Member of the Ghana Parliament
for Asunafo South
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 January 2013
Preceded byGeorge Boakye
Majority1,395
Minister of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Ghana)
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 January 2025
Preceded byBryan Acheampong
Brong Ahafo Regional Minister
In office
16 July 2014 – 6 January 2017
Preceded byPaul Evans Aidoo
Succeeded byKweku Asomah-Cheremeh
Ashanti Regional Minister
In office
11 March 2013 – 16 July 2014
Preceded bySamuel Sarpong
Succeeded bySamuel Sarpong
Brong Ahafo Regional Minister
In office
11 March 2012 – 14 February 2013
Succeeded byPaul Evans Aidoo
In office
7 January 2005 – 6 January 2009
Preceded byGeorge William Amponsah for Asunafo South
Succeeded byGeorge Boakye
Personal details
Born (1970-06-05) 5 June 1970 (age 54)
NationalityGhanaianGhana 
Political partyNational Democratic Congress
Alma materKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
ProfessionFarmer/Agriculturist
CommitteesFood, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Privileges Committee & Appointments Committee
PortfolioMinister of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Ghana)

Eric Opoku is a Ghanaian politician and member of the 9th parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Asunafo South Constituency in the Ahafo Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.[1] He is currently Ghana's Minister of Food and Agriculture[2][3]

Early life and education

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Eric Opoku was born on 5 June 1970.[1][4] He hails from a town called Sankore in the Ahafo region of Ghana.[1][4] He had his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in year 2004.[1][4]

Career

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Opoku is a farmer/ agriculturist.[4] Prior to his appointment into parliament, he worked as a teacher with the Ghana Education Service at SDA Primary School in Sankore, from 1997 to 2000.[1][4] He has also worked with Kuapa Kookoo Ltd as the Society Development Secretary from 1998 to 2001.[1]

Political career

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Opoku was first elected into parliament in the 3rd parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana as the member of parliament for the Asunafo South constituency in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana.[1][4] Though he lost his seat in the subsequent election, he was elected again into parliament on 7 January 2013 after claiming victory at the 2012 Ghanaian General Elections to represent the Asunafo South constituency and served until 6 January 2017. He was then reelected on 7 January 2017 after the 2016 Ghanaian General Elections where he obtained 52.97% of the valid votes cast.
He has worked as the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister from 2009 to 2013.[4] In the 7th parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana he served on the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee as a ranking Member.[1] He also served on the Privileges Committee and Appointments Committee in the same parliament.[1]

Opoku received an award as the best member of parliament for communal and rural development for 2017 from the Bureau of Research on Governance, Commerce and Administration (BORGCA). This award was given for his contribution to developmental projects in the Asunafo South constituency.[5] In January 2025, President Mahama swore him and others into office as ministers to oversee various ministries. He was appointed as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.[6]

Elections

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Opoku was elected as the member of parliament for the Asunafo South constituency of the Brong Ahafo region in the 2004 Ghanaian general elections.[7][8] He won on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.[7][8] His constituency was a part of the 10 parliamentary seats out of a total 24 seats won by the National Democratic Congress in that election for the Brong Ahafo Region.[9][10] The Asunafo South constituency saw a ‘skirt and blouse’ voting by electorates in that election as the presidential candidate elected by the constituency electorates was John Kufour of the major opposition New Patriotic Party.[7] The National Democratic Congress won a minority total of 94 parliamentary seats out of 230 seats in that elections.[9] Opoku was elected with 14,076 votes out of 29,345 total valid votes cast, equivalent to 48% of total valid votes cast.[7][8] He was elected over George William Amponsah of the New Patriotic Party, Jack Kennedy Brobbey an independent candidate and Fredrick Nkrumah of the Convention People's Party.[7][8] These obtained 43.80%, 7.30% and 0.90% respectively of total valid votes cast.[7][8]

Opoku was re-elected in the 2020 Parliamentary election to represent them in the 8th Parliament of the fourth Republic of Ghana. He was re-elected in the 2024 parliamentary election to represent the Asunafo South constituents in the 9th parliament in the fourth republic of Ghana. He gearned 25,244 which represent 57.40% of the votes in the election.[11]

Attack

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Opoku was attacked in his residence on 25 December 2017 in Sankore in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana.[12][13] The National Democratic Congress alleged that the attackers were armed supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party. He was attacked for the second time, on 1 April 2018, also in his home in Sankore by armed men.[14][15] Though left unharmed the attackers allegedly made away with about GHS 10,400.00, a television set and decoder and damaged three of Opoku's vehicles.

Personal life

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Opoku is a Christian.[1][4] He is married with four children.[1][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Parliament of Ghana". www.parliament.gh. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Eric Opoku warns Agric Ministry staff against sabotage". 28 January 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Hon Eric Opoku heads Ministry of Food and Agriculture | Daily Agric News". 16 January 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ghana MPs - MP Details - Opoku, Eric". 25 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Eric Opoku rewarded Best MP for rural devt". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  6. ^ says, Asare Bismark (28 January 2025). "Hon. Eric Opoku, New Agriculture Minister, Calls for Unity in Advancing Ghana's Agricultural Sector". Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Ghana Election 2004 Results - Asunafo South Constituency". Ghana Elections - Peace FM. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d e Elections 2004; Ghana's Parliamentary and Presidential Elections. Accra: Electoral Commission of Ghana; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. 2005. p. 131.
  9. ^ a b "Statistics of Presidential and Parliamentary Election Results". Fact Check Ghana. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Ghana Election 2004 Results - Brong Ahafo Region". Ghana Elections - Peace FM. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  11. ^ Online, Peace FM. "Asunafo South Constituency Parliament Results - Ghana 2024 Election Results". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Attack On Asunafo South MP Unfortunate, Sad!". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  13. ^ Addo, Charles (28 December 2017). "Blame NPP, Akufo-Addo over attack on NDC MP Eric Opoku - Minority". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2 August 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Asunafo South MP, Eric Opoku and three others attacked". BusinessGhana. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  15. ^ "NDC Delegation Visits Eric Opoku (Photo)". Peacefmonline.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
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