Akosua Manu has called on Vice-President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to use her office to ensure justice for students at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) following allegations of sexual abuse.
The Advisor on Gender and Social Protection to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said the Vice-President’s status as a woman in a historic leadership position carried particular importance for girls across Ghana.
She argued that this significance should be reflected in concrete action to improve their safety and welfare.
In an op-ed titled “A Party Card Is Not a Certificate of Immunity”, published on her social media platforms on Monday, October 19, 2026, Ms Manu urged Prof. Opoku-Agyemang to turn her advocacy for girls’ rights into practical steps to protect them from abuse.
“Your voice and influence must help secure an impartial response, even where it requires uncomfortable questions within your own political circles,” she said.
Ms Manu said the allegations at Obuasi SHTS highlighted wider concerns over how sexual misconduct complaints are dealt with in schools. She referred to reports that concerns had previously been raised but had apparently not been resolved.
“According to investigative reporting, students raised complaints, teachers expressed concerns, and petitions reached the relevant authorities. Each was an opportunity to establish the facts and protect the girls. Yet the complaints apparently remained unresolved,” she noted.
She said the situation required authorities to explain what they knew, when they became aware of the complaints and what action was taken to protect the students.
Ms Manu called for an investigation free from political interference, stressing that party affiliation must not influence how complaints are handled or protect anyone from accountability.
She also asked the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, to clarify what support was being provided to the alleged victims and their families.
The ministry, she said, should set out how it would prevent intimidation, safeguard the students’ privacy and education, and ensure they could access justice.
“Representation must translate into protection,” she said, adding that responsibility for protecting children belonged to the entire government, especially agencies established to support vulnerable people.
Ms Manu also demanded an independent review of the way sexual misconduct allegations are handled in schools. She said students needed confidential reporting systems that operated outside the authority of those they accused.
She praised investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and other journalists for bringing the allegations to national attention. However, she warned that investigative journalism could not replace effective child-protection institutions.
Ms Manu ended her statement by calling for victims to be protected from retaliation, suspected criminal offences to be referred promptly to the appropriate investigative authorities, and affected students to receive professional support.
