As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares for a crucial national executive election and begins rebuilding after its electoral setbacks, former Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko has positioned himself as one of the party’s leading figures capable of steering its revival ahead of the 2028 general election.
Mr. Agyarko is contesting the NPP National Chairmanship position, with his campaign centred on rebuilding the party from the grassroots, restoring unity and reclaiming parliamentary seats lost in recent elections.
His supporters increasingly present him as a potential “saviour” of the NPP — a description that reflects the scale of the expectations surrounding his candidacy rather than an established political title.
Who is Boakye Agyarko?
Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko is a Ghanaian economist, banker and politician with decades of experience in business and partisan politics.
Born in Kumasi, he attended K. O. Methodist Primary School and later Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast.
He proceeded to the University of Ghana, where he studied Economics and Political Science.
He later travelled to the United States, where he obtained an Advanced Professional Certificate in Banking from the American Institute of Banking and an MBA in Financial Economics from Pace University in New York.
His professional background is one of the factors he frequently highlights in his political career.
Mr. Agyarko spent more than two decades working in the banking sector in the United States and rose to become Vice President and Head of Global Network Management at the Bank of New York.
That experience has shaped his political message, particularly his emphasis on organisation, management, financial discipline and strategic planning.
His long association with the NPP
Agyarko’s relationship with the NPP predates his time in government.
According to his profile published by the Ghana News Agency, he has been involved with the Danquah-Busia political tradition for many years and served as chairman of the Danquah Busia Club of North America and coordinator of the NPP in North America.
He also contributed to the party’s activities through fundraising, organisation and political communication while living abroad.
After returning to Ghana, he became increasingly involved in national party politics.
He contested the NPP’s presidential primaries in 2007 ahead of the 2008 general election.
In 2009, he served on the Dr. Heymann Committee, which toured the country as part of efforts to gather information for the reorganisation of the party.
He later became National Campaign Manager for the NPP’s 2012 election campaign and served as a policy adviser during the party’s successful 2016 campaign.
Political involvement
Agyarko was a founding member of the NPP in 1992.
In the diaspora he chaired the Danquah-Busia Club of North America and served as NPP coordinator for North America. He wrote a regular column (“Letter from America”) for The Statesman newspaper in the 1990s.
Key party roles include:
- Member of the Heymann Committee (2009) that reviewed party organisation.
- National Campaign Manager for the 2012 general election.
- Policy Adviser to the NPP presidential candidate in 2016.
He served as Minister of Energy from February 2017 to August 2018 in the first Akufo-Addo administration, with oversight of major sector agencies including GNPC, NPA, TOR and others.
His time as Energy Minister
Agyarko’s most prominent government position came after the NPP won the 2016 general election.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed him Minister of Energy in 2017, a position he held until 2018.
As Energy Minister, he had supervisory responsibility for several major institutions within Ghana’s energy sector, including the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Ghana National Gas Company, National Petroleum Authority, BOST, Tema Oil Refinery, Volta River Authority, GRIDCo, ECG, NEDCo and the Energy Commission.
His tenure in government remains an important part of his political credentials as he now seeks a senior leadership position within the NPP.
Why does he want to lead the NPP?
Agyarko’s current campaign is built around one overriding objective: returning the NPP to power in 2028.
He has argued that the party’s defeat in the 2024 elections exposed weaknesses in its organisational structures and that those weaknesses must be addressed before the next election.
His campaign has therefore placed considerable emphasis on the grassroots.
In May 2026, he said his campaign theme, “The Bridge to Victory: Empowering the Grassroots, Uniting for Victory 2028,” reflected his intention to strengthen constituency structures and build a more effective political organisation.
He has also proposed measures focused on party unity, members’ welfare, resource mobilisation and organisational effectiveness.
Reclaiming lost parliamentary seats
One of the clearestq elements of Mr. Agyarko’s 2028 strategy is the recovery of parliamentary seats the NPP lost in previous elections.
After completing a campaign tour of all 16 regions, he identified the reclamation of lost parliamentary seats as central to rebuilding the party’s electoral fortunes.
His argument is that a presidential victory cannot be separated from a strong parliamentary showing.
The NPP must therefore strengthen individual constituencies, identify local challenges and develop strategies tailored to each constituency.
Greater Accra, in particular, has emerged as a major focus of his strategy.
Mr. Agyarko has argued that the region’s political diversity means the party cannot rely on a single nationwide message. Instead, constituency executives must understand their local electorates and develop targeted approaches to win voters back.
Grassroots organisation at the centre
Mr. Agyarko’s pitch is also built around empowering the people who operate the NPP’s machinery at the constituency and regional levels.
He has spoken about providing party officers with training, welfare support, logistics and timely resources.
In August, more than 50 NPP constituency chairpersons picked nomination forms on his behalf for the National Chairmanship contest, an indication of support from a section of the party’s grassroots leadership.
Mr. Agyarko interpreted the gesture as confirmation of a call he said constituency chairpersons had made for him to take up the party’s leadership.
The 2026 NPP chairmanship race
Mr. Agyarko is competing against three other candidates for the NPP National Chairmanship after the withdrawal of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
The remaining candidates are former NPP General Secretary John Boadu, former National Chairman Paul Afoko, former Greater Accra Regional Chairman Sammy Crabbe, and Mr. Agyarko.
The NPP has scheduled the national executive elections for October 3, 2026.
Following the balloting held on September 9, John Boadu drew position one, Sammy Crabbe position two, Paul Afoko position three and Boakye Agyarko position four on the National Chairmanship ballot.
What would an Agyarko-led NPP look like?
If elected, Mr. Agyarko has indicated that his immediate priority would be to rebuild the party rather than simply prepare for an election campaign.
His agenda includes reconciliation among factions, improved welfare for party members, stronger grassroots structures, better resource mobilisation and constituency-specific electoral strategies.
He has also pledged to build an organisation capable of supporting Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s presidential ambitions in 2028.
This makes the chairmanship contest particularly significant.
The National Chairman will be expected to help transform the NPP from an opposition party recovering from defeat into an organisation capable of mounting a competitive nationwide campaign and winning the general election.
Unity and reconciliation
Mr. Agyarko also pledged to personally lead efforts to promote reconciliation and unity within the party across the five regions.
He assured members that he would work to bridge divisions, rebuild trust and bring everyone on board, including those who feel disappointed or excluded from the party’s activities.
He stressed that rebuilding the NPP would require the participation and contribution of its entire membership.
Resourcing party offices
Another key commitment was the resourcing and retooling of party offices to improve their effectiveness and efficiency.
Mr. Agyarko said this would be complemented by capacity-building programmes for party officers at all levels, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to discharge their responsibilities.
He linked the strengthening of party offices and grassroots structures to the NPP’s broader efforts to improve its electoral performance.
Welfare of party members
The welfare of party members also featured prominently during the campaign engagements.
Mr. Agyarko reiterated the importance of caring for the grassroots and pledged to develop a welfare scheme for party officers.
He said his objective was to build an organisation in which members feel valued, supported, and connected to the leadership throughout the political cycle.
2028 electoral ambitions
Mr. Agyarko linked his campaign commitments to the NPP’s ultimate objective of securing victory in the 2028 general election, with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as President and a strong parliamentary majority to support effective governance.
Concluding the tour, he expressed gratitude to regional and constituency executives across the five regions for their warm reception, support and endorsements of his candidature.
Can Boakye Agyarko really “save” the NPP?
Whether Mr. Agyarko can become the figure who leads the NPP back to power remains a question for party delegates and, ultimately, Ghanaian voters.
His credentials give him considerable political and professional experience, while his campaign has sought to distinguish itself through its focus on organisation and grassroots mobilisation.
However, the challenges before the NPP extend beyond the choice of National Chairman.
The party will have to rebuild public confidence, resolve internal disagreements, strengthen its constituency structures and convince voters who moved away from the party in the 2024 election to return.
Mr. Agyarko’s proposition is that disciplined organisation, unity and strategic grassroots mobilisation can provide the foundation for that comeback.
For now, his political journey has brought him from banking in the United States, through government and senior party roles, to one of the most consequential internal contests in the NPP’s recent history.
If he wins the chairmanship, the real test will begin immediately: to fulfill his promise to rebuild the NPP into an electoral machine capable of reclaiming lost seats and helping the party compete for power in 2028.
