President John Mahama has expressed relief at the return of Vice President Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, describing her comeback as both reassuring and politically significant.
According to him, the Vice President’s absence left a notable gap in the administration, admitting that even a brief official trip to neighbouring Togo sparked impeachment threats.
President Mahama made these remarks on Thursday, May 22, during his welcome address to the Vice President following her weeks-long medical leave abroad.
This marks his first official response to criticisms from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding the absence of the President, Vice President, and Speaker of Parliament from the country—without appointing a Chief Justice to act as President, as required by the Constitution.
“I particularly have missed you, because even travelling out of the country has been difficult; they’ve threatened to impeach me for going to Togo while you were away.
“So I’m the most excited to have you back, so you’re warmly welcome,” he said, referencing the Minority’s consideration of impeachment proceedings over alleged constitutional breaches during his trip.
The Minority had raised concerns that President Mahama’s departure, while both the Vice President and Speaker were unavailable, created a constitutional vacuum—potentially violating Article 60 of the 1992 Constitution.
The Vice President, who left the country in early April for further treatment after a sudden illness, returned to a warm reception led by President Mahama and his wife, Lordina. Also present at the airport were Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and other senior government officials.
President Mahama praised Prof Opoku-Agyemang’s dedication to duty prior to her medical leave, noting that her groundwork helped sustain the government’s 120-day social contract programme in her absence.
“Since you left, your colleagues and I have all missed you. We held the 120-day social contract programme, and everybody said you should have been there, but with all the work you did before you went, we continued—and I think we were able to present to the people of Ghana a significant percentage of the things we had promised. But in all this, you were missed.”
“Ghana is safe, things seem to be on the right track, and you’ve come at the right time to continue the work you so beautifully started. Your colleagues are very happy to have you back,” he added.
The President also used the occasion to call for long-term investment in the country’s healthcare infrastructure, referencing the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) as a critical but underutilised facility that should be better equipped to handle emergencies locally.
“This raises the issue of improving our healthcare so that we can handle emergencies like this. We built a quintessential hospital, which is the UGMC, but it’s still not at the stage where it can handle some of these cases. It’s a call to duty that we implement it the way Professor Mills intended, so that in future, emergencies like this can be managed locally.”
President Mahama noted that doctors have declared the Vice President fully fit and even joked that she returned looking “20 years younger.”
However, he advised her to take things slowly as she resumes her official duties.
“That’s what the professor told me—that you are okay and fit for the job—but I will ask that you take it easy for a little while. We’ll see how things go.”
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