Ghanaian actor and comedian Richard Kweku Asante, popularly known as Kalybos, has revealed that his decision to support and campaign for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was primarily driven by the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM, Kalybos explained that the Free SHS initiative deeply resonated with him because of the significant financial burden secondary education poses for many families across the country.
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According to him, the policy was a game-changer that promised to give every Ghanaian child — regardless of background — access to quality education.
“I’ve always had this thing with me, to get involved in something I believe is right. I believe it will serve a purpose for someone. Never about any selfish gain. Never about any talk about it. Whatever I join with NPP, I’ve never gained anything from it,” he said.
Kalybos was among a few celebrities who publicly endorsed the NPP during the 2020 general elections — a move that attracted both praise and criticism. Responding to backlash from sections of the public, he stressed that his endorsement was not politically motivated by personal gain but by a genuine belief in the importance of education.
“If I were to tell you back in the days when you know Free SHS never came on, the amount of school fees I pay [would] shock [you],” Kalybos stated.
He explained that a substantial portion of his earnings went towards supporting family members from both his mother’s side and his community.
“You know, from the family side, from the mother’s side, and even in my area, my community I’m living in, do you get it? And all of it was coming out of school fees; you know, they come and it’s about school fees, about school fees,” he added.
He also disclosed that his “motive to join was to help champion something that was being put up with the free education. And I’ve said it over and over: I went in for that policy…. I’ve worked with both sides and all that.”
The Free SHS policy, implemented in 2017, has remained one of the NPP government’s flagship programmes. It continues to receive mixed reactions from political observers, but for Kalybos, the initiative was reason enough to throw his support behind the current administration.
