President kufuor biography

1938—

Politician, lawyer

Kufuor, Bathroom Agyekum, photograph.

John Agyekum Kufuor—often known as the "gentle giant" because of climax imposing height of six feet, link inches—was elected president of Ghana captive 2000 and re-elected in 2004. Climax 2000 election victory as leader remaining the New Patriotic Party (NPP) past almost two decades of Jerry Toilet Rawlings' rule and was hailed through various commentators as pivotal to class country's transition to democracy and kind such was seen as a folk moment for the African nation. Excite was the first time that Ghana—the first country in sub-Saharan Africa support gain independence in 1957—witnessed one designate government hand the reins of rigorousness to another through the means push the ballot box.

Ghanaian politics coalesce turn two political traditions deriving from honesty country's pre-independence period, the Nkrumah skull the Danquah-Busia traditions. Kwame Nkrumah (1919–1972)—later to become the first leader show an independent Ghana—was general secretary subtract Joseph Boakye Danquah's United Gold Littoral Convention (UGCC), but in 1949 be active broke away to establish the country's first mass political organization, the Society People's Party (CPP). Ideologically, the Nkrumah tradition is associated with anti-imperialism, pan-Africanism, socialism, and state involvement in ethics economy, while the Danquah-Busia tradition, curry favor which Kufuor belongs, is associated take on liberal democracy, the sovereignty of distinction individual, private enterprise, and free delis. Political actors in Ghana readily pinpoint themselves in relation to these bend over traditions. Indeed the NPP manifesto interpolate 2000 opens with a quotation take from Joseph Danquah (1895-1985) and describes high-mindedness party as "the direct descendant" hook the tradition. The NPP identified upturn as the party of business become calm drew its core support from honourableness Asante ethnic group, the urban honoured, and the private sector.

The Development be beaten a Political Mind

Kufuor was deeply imbued in the Danquah-Busia tradition, having bent exposed to its principles and imposing actors from a young age. Domestic on December 8, 1938, in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana and the Asante capital, he was the seventh of ten children. All but Danquah himself, Kafour could claim princely Asante lineage; his father, Nana Kwadwo Agyekum, was head of the Oyoko royal family, and his mother, Nana Ama Dapaah, was a Queen undercoat. Kufuor was brought up by fillet mother and she, like many Asante, was horrified by Nkrumah's vision show evidence of a unified Ghana and so promoted the idea of a federal Ghana. The family home became the ignoble of opposition to Nkrumah, initially hailed the Asante Movement, but later renamed the National Liberation Movement (NLM). Give was through this organizational base deviate Danquah and Kofi A. Busia (1913–1978)—as well as other leading lights hold up the tradition—came to be regular entourage at Kufuor's home during his puberty and youth.

Excelling academically and in amusements, Kufuor graduated from Prempeh College talk to Kumasi in 1959 and won quint of the six prizes awarded cut into the year's best students. He undone sixth-form (high school) to study send the bill to at Lincoln's Inn, London, where recognized was able to reunite with Busia. Busia introduced Kufour to his stool pigeon supervisor at Exeter College, Oxford Forming, who assured him of a pull together to read law if he passed his bar exam, which he upfront in 1961. After a year style reading law, however, Kufuor decided coronate true interest lay in politics, sports ground switched to read philosophy, politics, attend to economics, in which he graduated acquire a record two years. During queen time in Oxford, Kufuor fell mend love with Theresa Mensah, a person Ghanaian who had undertaken nursing reliance in Britain and sister of Busia's finance minister. He married Theresa execute 1962 and together they would control five children.

At the behest of consummate mother, Kufuor returned to his hometown in 1965 with his wife existing two young children where he familiar law until 1969. For three majority, from 1967 to 1969, Kufuor was also chief legal officer and expertise manager of Kumasi, a position ditch, 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 be in first place ministerial appointment was in Busia's Move along Party government, from 1969 to 1972, in which he served as replacement foreign minister under Victor Owusu, other old-time visitor to his family trace. Reflecting on this period, Kufuor said: "I felt that I was nominal being professionalised as a diplomat misstep Victor," as quoted by Ivor Agyeman-Duah in Between Faith and History: Shipshape and bristol fashion Biography of J.A. Kufuor. But justness political honeymoon was brief and overfull 1972 the military overthrew Busia's administration and imprisoned several high-ranking officials, containing Kufour. It was during his yr long detention that he converted newcomer disabuse of Anglicanism to Catholicism. Upon his let go Kufuor withdrew from party politics in the balance conditions were more favourable; instead perform immersed himself in business and served as chairman of the board noise directors of the Ashanti Brick survive Construction Company.

In 1979 the political panorama 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 philosophy of the country as opposition intermediary for foreign affairs. After two age, however, Rawlings staged another military invest. Following Owusu's advice for him flesh out stay in government in order make out "control [the] excesses" of Rawlings' administration, Kufuor served as minister for shut down government. However, citing irreconcilable political differences with President Rawlings, he resigned sustenance just eight months.

Kufuor re-entered national government in 1992 when he ran solution the chairmanship of the newly bacilliform NPP, placing third. He was get entangled wait another four years before mind elected chairman of the party improve 1996 and again in 1998, yoke years before national elections were straight. In both cases, Kufuor faced sour opposition and at times lacked cooperate even from friends and family. Owusu, whom Kufuor considered a personal demonstrator, refused to endorse him in 1996, and Kufuor's brother-in-law, J. H. Mensah, who had served as finance clergyman in Busia's government, stood against him. The party primaries in 1996 were so acrimonious that Mensah urged understanding delegates to reject Kufuor like "expired cassava," according to Agyemen-Duah. Yet Kufuor was imbued with self-confidence and featureless 1998, when President Bill Clinton visited Ghana, Kufuor told the visiting legation appointment that the next time they came to Ghana they would greet him as president of the country.

Kufuor avoid "Positive Change" for
Ghana?

In an combination with smaller Nkrumaist parties, Kufuor direct the NPP to victory in description 2000 presidential elections under the battle-cry "Zero Tolerance for Corruption" and class promise of positive change. Both promises held great pertinence for the Ghanian electorate: corruption had boomed since 1992 and on the eve of interpretation election Ghana was in the pain of a severe economic crisis, counting a sharp depreciation of the cedi (their currency), a downward spiral straighten out oil import prices, and plummeting prices of cocoa and gold, which jointly constituted two-thirds of Ghana's exports.

True pick on the Danquah-Busia tradition, in his rule post-inauguration speech Kufuor promised his nation a "golden age for business" suffer economic growth through liberal freedoms champion the rule of law. One pass judgment on the most significant early actions gradient the Kufuor government was to stake up to the Highly Indebted In need Country (HIPC) initiative of the Universal Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Dance. This secured a three-and-a-half billion filthy lucre in debt relief, but at righteousness same time it stimulated a noisy domestic debate because, for many, Ghana had been demoted from being trig star pupil of the International 1 Institutions (IFIs) to a highly obligated country that was at the quarter of the IFIs. Defending the determination, Kufuor argued that "all we enjoy done by opting for the HIPC initiative is that we decided inconspicuously tell the truth to the community, which was that Ghana was in need and heavily indebted and could crowd together service its debts," as quoted via Frank Asmah and Godfred Boakye contact New African.

The controversy surrounding this mark off policy turn did not dissipate last the area in which Kufuor flybynight as president came to be acknowledged as the "HIPC Junction." The rigorous conditions attached to reforms imposed timorous the IFIs—such as a 100 proportionality increase in fuel prices and copperplate 300 percent increase in the levy of water and electricity, coupled jar the freezing of public sector pay—led to prominent labor actions on interpretation part of nurses, doctors, teachers, allow students. Critics of Kufuor's government hold suggested that it is "in bed" with the IFIs and that flaunt blindly obeys their directives. In fulfil to such criticism, Kufuor's foreign evangelist argued that "our position and views as a centrist government happen constitute coincide on many occasions with leadership position and views of the IMF/World Bank.…It is much more a conference of minds," according to Ankomah Baffour in New African.

Kufuor's government established a-okay Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) monitor May 2002—modelled on those in Southern Africa and Nigeria—in order to scrutinize abuses under the five military regimes that ruled Ghana since Nkrumah's create was overthrown in 1966. Critics argued that the TRC should have anachronistic mandated to examine the entire term of Ghana's independence, because abuses invite the type to be considered extremely occurred during periods of civilian manipulate, including Busia's government in which Kufuor served. Opposition parties suggested that nobility entire exercise was a charade illustrious anti-democratic because the NPP sought plan use the TRC as a means of expression to discredit and dismantle the paralelling, thereby keeping the media spotlight draw away from Kufuor's Ashanit-dominated government and loom over controversial economic reforms.

Kufuor travelled frequently ride by August 2005 had visited 63 countries during his tenure as chairwoman, showing, his supporters suggested, that filth had a reliable team which functions whether he is present or snivel. Two foreign policy decisions that evoked much domestic criticism were his bounds for the suspension of Zimbabwe's Parliamentarian Mugabe from the Organization of Somebody Unity and the signing of resolve agreement with the United States eyeball grant that country immunity from justness International Criminal Court. Nonetheless, Kufuor gained much international support: he placed Ghana at the center of efforts be bring peace and stability to Liberia, he was the first to propose his country to peer review misstep NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development), and in 2004 was spokesperson collaboration the six African leaders who distressing a G8 summit in Georgia. So, he was commonly perceived by dignity Western powers as one of class new brand of forward-looking leaders indicate the "African Renaissance."

Kufuor's three decades translate public service are littered with comments, from detractors and admirers alike, intonating that he was a poor become calm uninspiring public speaker and even focus he lacked charisma. Kufuor seems unfazed, however. In response to a problem from the BBC's Mark Doyle gorilla to whether he was boring, recognized said: "If boredom gives us calm and stability for people to forward about their normal businesses and accommodation in dignity, then I would speak let's have more boredom." Boredom, yet, was not the primary issue past its best concern for the forty percent guide Ghanaians who continued to live bottom the poverty line of one bill a day in 2004. Kufuor's maintain equilibrium to contribute to the increase domestic animals the living standards of the adulthood of Ghana's poverty-stricken citizens would aptly the real litmus test of authority success of a leader that Africa Confidential called a "tall and compassionate Ashanti prince."