Stephen Amoanor Kwao is a Ghanaian educationist and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He is the Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for the Upper Manya

Upper Manya (Ghana parliament constituency)

Upper Manya is one of the constituencies represented in the Parliament of Ghana. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

 constituency and a Minister of State

Minister of State

Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...

 at the Office of the President of Ghana

President of Ghana

The President of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana. Officially styled President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghanaian Armed Forces. The current President of Ghana is Prof. John Atta Mills, who took office in January...

.

Early life and education

Stephen Kwao was born at Akrusu Saisi, a town in the Manya Krobo District

Manya Krobo District

The Manya Krobo District is a district of Ghana in the Eastern Region.-Sources:*...

 of the Eastern Region

Eastern Region (Ghana)

The Eastern Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It covers an area of 19,323 square kilometres, which is about 8.1% of Ghana's total land area. The region is divided into administrative districts. The total number of districts were increased from 17 districts to 21...

 of Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

. His primary education was at the Akrusu Saisi Roman Catholic Primary School and the Asesewa Roman Catholic Middle School. His secondary education was at the Saint Martin’s Secondary School at Adoagyiri-Nsawam where he obtained the General Certificate of Education

General Certificate of Education

The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...

 Ordinary Level

Ordinary Level

The O-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education . It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous Advanced Level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A-level...

 in 1971. His basic teacher training was at the Mount Mary Training College at Somanya-Krobo in the Eastern Region. He then attended what is now the University of Education, Winneba

University of Education, Winneba

The University of Education at Winneba is a university in Winneba, Ghana. Its main aim is to train teachers for the education system of Ghana.-Organization:The university has twenty-nine Academic departments and centres, six Faculties...

 between 1992 to 1996, obtaining a Diploma in Education. He completed a Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Education

A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...

 degree in 1999 at the same institution.

Educational work

Stephen Kwao was assistant headmaster at various Asesewaa Roman Catholic school between 1977 and 1985. He became the Headmaster of the Asesewa Roman Catholic Complex Junior Secondary School between 1987 and 1992. After completing his Diploma in Education, he taught at the Krobo Girls’ Secondary School for two years. In 1999, he became Assistant Headmaster of the Dzomoa Roman Catholic Junior Secondary School. He later became a Deputy Director at the Ghana Education Service.

Politics

Kwao became active in party politics from the onset of the fourth Republic. He was the constituency chairman of the National Democratic Congress

National Democratic Congress (Ghana)

The National Democratic Congress is a social democratic political party in Ghana, founded by Jerry John Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001. The NDC was formed ahead of elections in 1992 and 1996 returned Jerry John Rawlings to...

 (NDC) between 1992 and 1993. He contested the 2000 Ghanaian parliamentary election

Ghanaian parliamentary election, 2000

The Ghanaian parliamentary election was held on 7 December 2000. Presidential elections were held on the same day with a second round on 28 December 2000. 62% of registered voters turned out for the elections...

 on the ticket of the NDC, winnin by a margin of 8,644. He successfully retained his seat in the December 2008 election. In 2009, President Mills appointed Kwao as Minister for Employment and Social Welfare. He was moved to the Office of the President as a Minister of State in a cabinet reshuffle in January 2010.

See also

• List of Mills government ministers
• National Democratic Congress
  National Democratic Congress (Ghana)
  The National Democratic Congress is a social democratic political party in Ghana, founded by Jerry John Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001. The NDC was formed ahead of elections in 1992 and 1996 returned Jerry John Rawlings to...