Why Kojo Oppong Nkrumah ‘dumped’ Journalism for Politics

His move away from one of the leading media organisations in the country in 2014 shocked many as there wasn’t a hint of his departure.

Being the host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, a niche he successfully carved for himself, many didn’t expect him to leave the media to join politics particularly because he had established himself as a key figure in the media landscape.

But the former Morning show host, now Information Minister, has lifted the lid on the real reason for his ‘sudden’ departure from the media landscape.

In an interview with the BBC and monitored by www.abcnewsgh.com, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah explained that he joined politics so as to cause greater change in the lives of people.

He says though there are several ways of making an impact in society, his assessment of the Ghanaian context convinced him that politics was a more significant tool to bring about the needed change.

“There is no single silver bullet to bring about change but politics is a significant way to bring about change. People can bring change through faith based organisations, through entrepreneurship and private sector, journalism, law but politics remains a significant way so to do. My experience in Ghana for nearly a decade with Joy FM has taught me that you talk up the issues, you raise the issues, you push for change but not every administration or political official necessarily wants to listen or is interested in responding to the direction that you are suggesting,” the Information Minister observed.

Accepting the challenge to enter into politics for Kojo Oppong Nkrumah meant an opportunity to make significant change within his constituency and the country as a whole.

He believes he is on course to fulfilling his mandate and the pledge he gave his people to institute a transformation agenda within the constituency.

“I promised that I will set up an Education Trust Fund and support the local education. We have done that. And I am also able to raise a lot of money because of my background from private sector and benevolent organisations adding to that Trust Fund and then to use it to support particularly those who are studying nursing, teaching,” the Ofoase Ayirebi MP asserted in the interview.

It is not all rosy, though, for the first-time MP and Ghana’s Information Minister.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah suggests that juggling his role as an MP both within the constituency and in parliament and also communicating for government and assisting with the coordination of the various offices within the government remains a highly demanding task for which his God given 24-hour period in a day appears not enough.

Time, he stresses, is his biggest challenge.

“24 hours does not appear to be enough because you have a lot of things at the constituency that require your attention, your presence as well and if you are a Member of Parliament and you want to retain your seat you have to show some level of visibility on the ground and at the same time you have to attend cabinet (meetings), assist Economic Management Team and the leaders of the country in various things that they are doing so time is a big challenge…” he said in the interview monitored by www.abcnewsgh.com.

Kojo Opppong Nkrumah hosted the Super Morning Show on Joy FM for about 5 years until he left the station in 2014, subsequently venturing into politics.

In 2016, he contested and won the Ofoase Ayirebi seat on the ticket of the governing NPP. He was appointed a deputy Minister for Information in 2017 and subsequently took over the role of sector Minister in November, 2018.