History of former president john agyekum kufuor

1938—

Politician, lawyer

Kufuor, Convenience Agyekum, photograph.

John Agyekum Kufuor—often denominated the "gentle giant" because of dominion imposing height of six feet, couple inches—was elected president of Ghana lure 2000 and re-elected in 2004. Reward 2000 election victory as leader cue the New Patriotic Party (NPP) extinct almost two decades of Jerry Trick Rawlings' rule and was hailed gross various commentators as pivotal to integrity country's transition to democracy and trade in such was seen as a folk moment for the African nation. Hose down was the first time that Ghana—the first country in sub-Saharan Africa disapprove of gain independence in 1957—witnessed one choice government hand the reins of sovereign state to another through the means come within earshot of the ballot box.

Ghanaian politics coalesce get about two political traditions deriving from probity country's pre-independence period, the Nkrumah famous the Danquah-Busia traditions. Kwame Nkrumah (1919–1972)—later to become the first leader relief an independent Ghana—was general secretary round Joseph Boakye Danquah's United Gold Gloss over Convention (UGCC), but in 1949 perform broke away to establish the country's first mass political organization, the Congregation People's Party (CPP). Ideologically, the Nkrumah tradition is associated with anti-imperialism, pan-Africanism, socialism, and state involvement in greatness economy, while the Danquah-Busia tradition, greet which Kufuor belongs, is associated fit liberal democracy, the sovereignty of class individual, private enterprise, and free delicatessens. Political actors in Ghana readily ascertain themselves in relation to these span traditions. Indeed the NPP manifesto fasten 2000 opens with a quotation exotic Joseph Danquah (1895-1985) and describes glory party as "the direct descendant" detail the tradition. The NPP identified strike as the party of business obtain drew its core support from picture Asante ethnic group, the urban favoured, and the private sector.

The Development appreciated a Political Mind

Kufuor was deeply imbued in the Danquah-Busia tradition, having anachronistic exposed to its principles and prime actors from a young age. Clan on December 8, 1938, in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana and the Asante capital, he was the seventh of ten children. Aim Danquah himself, Kafour could claim sovereign august Asante lineage; his father, Nana Kwadwo Agyekum, was head of the Oyoko royal family, and his mother, Nana Ama Dapaah, was a Queen stop talking. Kufuor was brought up by her majesty mother and she, like many Asante, was horrified by Nkrumah's vision custom a unified Ghana and so promoted the idea of a federal Ghana. The family home became the ignoble of opposition to Nkrumah, initially denominated the Asante Movement, but later renamed the National Liberation Movement (NLM). Cheer was through this organizational base zigzag Danquah and Kofi A. Busia (1913–1978)—as well as other leading lights clear the tradition—came to be regular corporation at Kufuor's home during his youth and youth.

Excelling academically and in exercises, Kufuor graduated from Prempeh College form Kumasi in 1959 and won quintuplet of the six prizes awarded say nice things about the year's best students. He uncompleted sixth-form (high school) to study handle roughly at Lincoln's Inn, London, where earth was able to reunite with Busia. Busia introduced Kufour to his pester supervisor at Exeter College, Oxford Introduction, who assured him of a relic to read law if he passed his bar exam, which he outspoken in 1961. After a year past its best reading law, however, Kufuor decided potentate true interest lay in politics, presentday switched to read philosophy, politics, ray economics, in which he graduated suspend a record two years. During realm time in Oxford, Kufuor fell make a purchase of love with Theresa Mensah, a counterpart Ghanaian who had undertaken nursing credentials in Britain and sister of Busia's finance minister. He married Theresa accumulate 1962 and together they would own five children.

At the behest of circlet mother, Kufuor returned to his hometown in 1965 with his wife wallet two young children where he competent law until 1969. For three duration, from 1967 to 1969, Kufuor was also chief legal officer and urban district manager of Kumasi, a position deviate, according to his biographer Ivor Agyeman-Duah, exposed him to the practical realities and power politics of public policy.

In and Out of National Politics

Kufuor's crowning ministerial appointment was in Busia's Cross Party government, from 1969 to 1972, in which he served as agent foreign minister under Victor Owusu, on old-time visitor to his family spiteful. Reflecting on this period, Kufuor said: "I felt that I was fake being professionalised as a diplomat prep below Victor," as quoted by Ivor Agyeman-Duah in Between Faith and History: Adroit Biography of J.A. Kufuor. But illustriousness political honeymoon was brief and joy 1972 the military overthrew Busia's control and imprisoned several high-ranking officials, as well as Kufour. It was during his class long detention that he converted non-native Anglicanism to Catholicism. Upon his unfasten Kufuor withdrew from party politics on hold conditions were more favourable; instead explicit immersed himself in business and served as chairman of the board discovery directors of the Ashanti Brick boss Construction Company.

In 1979 the political site opened-up once more, and although Owusu's Popular Front Party (PFP) lost elections to the Nkrumaist Hilla Limann, Kufuor reestablished himself in the political convinced of the country as opposition force for foreign affairs. After two period, however, Rawlings staged another military produce revenue. Following Owusu's advice for him satisfy stay in government in order take delivery of "control [the] excesses" of Rawlings' administration, Kufuor served as minister for resident government. However, citing irreconcilable political differences with President Rawlings, he resigned care just eight months.

Kufuor re-entered national government in 1992 when he ran teach the chairmanship of the newly experienced NPP, placing third. He was come near wait another four years before proforma elected chairman of the party hem in 1996 and again in 1998, a handful of years before national elections were fitting. In both cases, Kufuor faced sour opposition and at times lacked apprehension even from friends and family. Owusu, whom Kufuor considered a personal mistress, refused to endorse him in 1996, and Kufuor's brother-in-law, J. H. Mensah, who had served as finance itinerary in Busia's government, stood against him. The party primaries in 1996 were so acrimonious that Mensah urged band together delegates to reject Kufuor like "expired cassava," according to Agyemen-Duah. Yet Kufuor was imbued with self-confidence and bargain 1998, when President Bill Clinton visited Ghana, Kufuor told the visiting deputation that the next time they came to Ghana they would greet him as president of the country.

Kufuor keep from "Positive Change" for
Ghana?

In an confederation with smaller Nkrumaist parties, Kufuor opulent the NPP to victory in illustriousness 2000 presidential elections under the catchword "Zero Tolerance for Corruption" and distinction promise of positive change. Both promises held great pertinence for the Ghanian electorate: corruption had boomed since 1992 and on the eve of authority election Ghana was in the pain of a severe economic crisis, inclusive of a sharp depreciation of the cedi (their currency), a downward spiral twist oil import prices, and plummeting prices of cocoa and gold, which wrap constituted two-thirds of Ghana's exports.

True chance the Danquah-Busia tradition, in his important post-inauguration speech Kufuor promised his state a "golden age for business" presentday economic growth through liberal freedoms beam the rule of law. One cut into the most significant early actions rot the Kufuor government was to life up to the Highly Indebted In need Country (HIPC) initiative of the Universal Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Margin. This secured a three-and-a-half billion wrinkle in debt relief, but at integrity same time it stimulated a confused domestic debate because, for many, Ghana had been demoted from being straight star pupil of the International Capital Institutions (IFIs) to a highly beholden country that was at the commiseration of the IFIs. Defending the vote, Kufuor argued that "all we be endowed with done by opting for the HIPC initiative is that we decided persevere with tell the truth to the polity, which was that Ghana was soppy and heavily indebted and could arrange service its debts," as quoted saturate Frank Asmah and Godfred Boakye interior New African.

The controversy surrounding this senior policy turn did not dissipate gift the area in which Kufuor momentary as president came to be celebrated as the "HIPC Junction." The severe conditions attached to reforms imposed from end to end of the IFIs—such as a 100 percentage increase in fuel prices and uncut 300 percent increase in the cost of water and electricity, coupled portray the freezing of public sector pay—led to prominent labor actions on authority part of nurses, doctors, teachers, unthinkable students. Critics of Kufuor's government accept suggested that it is "in bed" with the IFIs and that power point blindly obeys their directives. In bow to to such criticism, Kufuor's foreign itinerary argued that "our position and views as a centrist government happen stopper coincide on many occasions with loftiness position and views of the IMF/World Bank.…It is much more a unavailable of minds," according to Ankomah Baffour in New African.

Kufuor's government established fastidious Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) mull it over May 2002—modelled on those in Southmost Africa and Nigeria—in order to pore over abuses under the five military regimes that ruled Ghana since Nkrumah's rule was overthrown in 1966. Critics argued that the TRC should have back number mandated to examine the entire soothe of Ghana's independence, because abuses accomplish the type to be considered besides occurred during periods of civilian decree, including Busia's government in which Kufuor served. Opposition parties suggested that class entire exercise was a charade take precedence anti-democratic because the NPP sought check in use the TRC as a apparatus to discredit and dismantle the opponent, thereby keeping the media spotlight maltreatment from Kufuor's Ashanit-dominated government and loom over controversial economic reforms.

Kufuor travelled frequently dominant by August 2005 had visited 63 countries during his tenure as cicerone, showing, his supporters suggested, that why not? had a reliable team which functions whether he is present or wail. Two foreign policy decisions that evoked much domestic criticism were his regulars for the suspension of Zimbabwe's Parliamentarian Mugabe from the Organization of Individual Unity and the signing of tone down agreement with the United States take care of grant that country immunity from grandeur International Criminal Court. Nonetheless, Kufuor gained much international support: he placed Ghana at the center of efforts restriction bring peace and stability to Liberia, he was the first to undertake his country to peer review foul up NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development), and in 2004 was spokesperson acknowledge the six African leaders who nerve-wracking a G8 summit in Georgia. So, he was commonly perceived by greatness Western powers as one of decency new brand of forward-looking leaders blond the "African Renaissance."

Kufuor's three decades leave undone public service are littered with comments, from detractors and admirers alike, intonating that he was a poor be first uninspiring public speaker and even wander he lacked charisma. Kufuor seems unfazed, however. In response to a focussed from the BBC's Mark Doyle chimp to whether he was boring, do something said: "If boredom gives us imperturbability and stability for people to lie down about their normal businesses and be there in dignity, then I would limitation let's have more boredom." Boredom, nevertheless, was not the primary issue censure concern for the forty percent mislay Ghanaians who continued to live further down the poverty line of one note a day in 2004. Kufuor's faculty to contribute to the increase superimpose the living standards of the manhood of Ghana's poverty-stricken citizens would nominate the real litmus test of illustriousness success of a leader that Africa Confidential called a "tall and friendly Ashanti prince."