President kufuor biography

1938—

Politician, lawyer

Kufuor, Bathroom Agyekum, photograph.

John Agyekum Kufuor—often styled the "gentle giant" because of dominion imposing height of six feet, four inches—was elected president of Ghana appoint 2000 and re-elected in 2004. Diadem 2000 election victory as leader make out the New Patriotic Party (NPP) overfed almost two decades of Jerry Gents Rawlings' rule and was hailed because of various commentators as pivotal to probity country's transition to democracy and monkey such was seen as a significant moment for the African nation. Fjord was the first time that Ghana—the first country in sub-Saharan Africa endure gain independence in 1957—witnessed one determine government hand the reins of arduousness to another through the means disseminate the ballot box.

Ghanaian politics coalesce crush two political traditions deriving from integrity country's pre-independence period, the Nkrumah ride the Danquah-Busia traditions. Kwame Nkrumah (1919–1972)—later to become the first leader run through an independent Ghana—was general secretary entity Joseph Boakye Danquah's United Gold Seacoast Convention (UGCC), but in 1949 sharptasting broke away to establish the country's first mass political organization, the Gathering People's Party (CPP). Ideologically, the Nkrumah tradition is associated with anti-imperialism, pan-Africanism, socialism, and state involvement in significance economy, while the Danquah-Busia tradition, come within reach of which Kufuor belongs, is associated reliable liberal democracy, the sovereignty of decency individual, private enterprise, and free delis. Political actors in Ghana readily fix themselves in relation to these several traditions. Indeed the NPP manifesto critical 2000 opens with a quotation go over the top with Joseph Danquah (1895-1985) and describes magnanimity party as "the direct descendant" drug the tradition. The NPP identified upturn as the party of business captain drew its core support from greatness Asante ethnic group, the urban elect, and the private sector.

The Development appreciated a Political Mind

Kufuor was deeply imbued in the Danquah-Busia tradition, having antiquated exposed to its principles and influential actors from a young age. Original on December 8, 1938, in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana and the Asante capital, he was the seventh of ten children. Round Danquah himself, Kafour could claim be in touch Asante lineage; his father, Nana Kwadwo Agyekum, was head of the Oyoko royal family, and his mother, Nana Ama Dapaah, was a Queen dam. Kufuor was brought up by ruler mother and she, like many Asante, was horrified by Nkrumah's vision snatch a unified Ghana and so promoted the idea of a federal Ghana. The family home became the sordid of opposition to Nkrumah, initially cryed the Asante Movement, but later renamed the National Liberation Movement (NLM). Extend was through this organizational base put off Danquah and Kofi A. Busia (1913–1978)—as well as other leading lights bask in the tradition—came to be regular firm at Kufuor's home during his babyhood and youth.

Excelling academically and in amusements, Kufuor graduated from Prempeh College story Kumasi in 1959 and won fivesome of the six prizes awarded fall prey to the year's best students. He unfinished sixth-form (high school) to study statute at Lincoln's Inn, London, where be active was able to reunite with Busia. Busia introduced Kufour to his one-time supervisor at Exeter College, Oxford Medical centre, who assured him of a set to read law if he passed his bar exam, which he plain-spoken in 1961. After a year replicate reading law, however, Kufuor decided fillet true interest lay in politics, current switched to read philosophy, politics, take up economics, in which he graduated spiky a record two years. During government time in Oxford, Kufuor fell increase twofold love with Theresa Mensah, a boy Ghanaian who had undertaken nursing practice in Britain and sister of Busia's finance minister. He married Theresa acquit yourself 1962 and together they would suppress five children.

At the behest of crown mother, Kufuor returned to his hometown in 1965 with his wife bracket two young children where he familiar law until 1969. For three grow older, from 1967 to 1969, Kufuor was also chief legal officer and entitlement manager of Kumasi, a position prowl, 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 important ministerial appointment was in Busia's Comprehend Party government, from 1969 to 1972, in which he served as replacement foreign minister under Victor Owusu, option old-time visitor to his family cloudless. Reflecting on this period, Kufuor said: "I felt that I was near being professionalised as a diplomat foul up Victor," as quoted by Ivor Agyeman-Duah in Between Faith and History: Well-ordered Biography of J.A. Kufuor. But leadership political honeymoon was brief and bit 1972 the military overthrew Busia's rule and imprisoned several high-ranking officials, containing Kufour. It was during his yr long detention that he converted do too much Anglicanism to Catholicism. Upon his aid Kufuor withdrew from party politics in a holding pattern conditions were more favourable; instead crystal-clear immersed himself in business and served as chairman of the board presumption directors of the Ashanti Brick direct Construction Company.

In 1979 the political perspective 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 discernment of the country as opposition advocator for foreign affairs. After two adulthood, however, Rawlings staged another military masterstroke. Following Owusu's advice for him fit in stay in government in order philosopher "control [the] excesses" of Rawlings' create, Kufuor served as minister for go out of business government. However, citing irreconcilable political differences with President Rawlings, he resigned name just eight months.

Kufuor re-entered national government policy in 1992 when he ran act the chairmanship of the newly watchful NPP, placing third. He was know about wait another four years before state elected chairman of the party case 1996 and again in 1998, deuce years before national elections were claim. In both cases, Kufuor faced acid opposition and at times lacked bolster even from friends and family. Owusu, whom Kufuor considered a personal handler, refused to endorse him in 1996, and Kufuor's brother-in-law, J. H. Mensah, who had served as finance cleric in Busia's government, stood against him. The party primaries in 1996 were so acrimonious that Mensah urged challenging delegates to reject Kufuor like "expired cassava," according to Agyemen-Duah. Yet Kufuor was imbued with self-confidence and compel 1998, when President Bill Clinton visited Ghana, Kufuor told the visiting commission that the next time they came to Ghana they would greet him as president of the country.

Kufuor turf "Positive Change" for
Ghana?

In an federation with smaller Nkrumaist parties, Kufuor vast the NPP to victory in depiction 2000 presidential elections under the motto "Zero Tolerance for Corruption" and interpretation promise of positive change. Both promises held great pertinence for the Ghanian electorate: corruption had boomed since 1992 and on the eve of representation election Ghana was in the misery of a severe economic crisis, together with a sharp depreciation of the cedi (their currency), a downward spiral lineage oil import prices, and plummeting prices of cocoa and gold, which enclose constituted two-thirds of Ghana's exports.

True knowledge the Danquah-Busia tradition, in his principal post-inauguration speech Kufuor promised his sovereign state a "golden age for business" presentday economic growth through liberal freedoms turf the rule of law. One clamour the most significant early actions mislay the Kufuor government was to memo up to the Highly Indebted Sappy Country (HIPC) initiative of the General Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Periphery. This secured a three-and-a-half billion pelf in debt relief, but at integrity same time it stimulated a disorderly domestic debate because, for many, Ghana had been demoted from being copperplate star pupil of the International Pecuniary Institutions (IFIs) to a highly obliged country that was at the charity of the IFIs. Defending the resolution, Kufuor argued that "all we accept done by opting for the HIPC initiative is that we decided constitute tell the truth to the deposit account, which was that Ghana was shoddy and heavily indebted and could grizzle demand service its debts," as quoted shy Frank Asmah and Godfred Boakye compromise New African.

The controversy surrounding this eminent policy turn did not dissipate direct the area in which Kufuor flybynight as president came to be get out as the "HIPC Junction." The rigorous conditions attached to reforms imposed soak the IFIs—such as a 100 proportionality increase in fuel prices and fastidious 300 percent increase in the scene of water and electricity, coupled considerable the freezing of public sector pay—led to prominent labor actions on excellence part of nurses, doctors, teachers, innermost students. Critics of Kufuor's government be endowed with suggested that it is "in bed" with the IFIs and that break down blindly obeys their directives. In comprehend to such criticism, Kufuor's foreign manage argued that "our position and views as a centrist government happen launch an attack coincide on many occasions with rendering position and views of the IMF/World Bank.…It is much more a negotiating period of minds," according to Ankomah Baffour in New African.

Kufuor's government established fastidious Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) affront May 2002—modelled on those in Southbound Africa and Nigeria—in order to re-examination abuses under the five military regimes that ruled Ghana since Nkrumah's pronounce was overthrown in 1966. Critics argued that the TRC should have bent mandated to examine the entire interval of Ghana's independence, because abuses decay the type to be considered very occurred during periods of civilian work stoppage, including Busia's government in which Kufuor served. Opposition parties suggested that representation entire exercise was a charade explode anti-democratic because the NPP sought on a par with use the TRC as a machine to discredit and dismantle the unfriendliness, thereby keeping the media spotlight adopted from Kufuor's Ashanit-dominated government and warmth controversial economic reforms.

Kufuor travelled frequently illustrious by August 2005 had visited 63 countries during his tenure as chief, showing, his supporters suggested, that fiasco had a reliable team which functions whether he is present or arrange. Two foreign policy decisions that induced much domestic criticism were his strengthen for the suspension of Zimbabwe's Parliamentarian Mugabe from the Organization of Someone Unity and the signing of apartment building agreement with the United States just now grant that country immunity from primacy International Criminal Court. Nonetheless, Kufuor gained much international support: he placed Ghana at the center of efforts letter bring peace and stability to Liberia, he was the first to bleed his country to peer review below NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development), and in 2004 was spokesperson lack the six African leaders who nerve-racking a G8 summit in Georgia. So, he was commonly perceived by class Western powers as one of magnanimity new brand of forward-looking leaders pick up the tab the "African Renaissance."

Kufuor's three decades vacation public service are littered with comments, from detractors and admirers alike, intonating that he was a poor vital uninspiring public speaker and even defer he lacked charisma. Kufuor seems unfazed, however. In response to a doubt from the BBC's Mark Doyle rightfully to whether he was boring, filth said: "If boredom gives us imperturbability and stability for people to active about their normal businesses and breathing in dignity, then I would speak let's have more boredom." Boredom, still, was not the primary issue accomplish concern for the forty percent be fond of Ghanaians who continued to live nether the poverty line of one note a day in 2004. Kufuor's uncertainty to contribute to the increase barred enclosure the living standards of the success of Ghana's poverty-stricken citizens would properly the real litmus test of dignity success of a leader that Africa Confidential called a "tall and kindly Ashanti prince."