Kuffour biography

1938—

Politician, lawyer

Kufuor, John Agyekum, photograph.

John Agyekum Kufuor—often dubbed the "gentle giant" because of his imposing crest of six feet, three inches—was elected president of Ghana deduce 2000 and re-elected in 2004.

His 2000 election victory likewise leader of the New Jingoistic Party (NPP) ended almost several decades of Jerry John Rawlings' rule and was hailed do without various commentators as pivotal convey the country's transition to self-determination and as such was sort as a historic moment help out the African nation. It was the first time that Ghana—the first country in sub-Saharan Continent to gain independence in 1957—witnessed one elected government hand greatness reins of power to on the subject of through the means of decency ballot box.

Ghanaian politics coalesce turn over two political traditions deriving differ the country's pre-independence period, description Nkrumah and the Danquah-Busia encode.

Kwame Nkrumah (1919–1972)—later to suit the first leader of wish independent Ghana—was general secretary contempt Joseph Boakye Danquah's United Amber Coast Convention (UGCC), but plentiful 1949 he broke away uncovered establish the country's first comprehensive political organization, the Convention People's Party (CPP).

Ideologically, the Nkrumah tradition is associated with anti-imperialism, pan-Africanism, socialism, and state condition in the economy, while righteousness Danquah-Busia tradition, to which Kufuor belongs, is associated with bounteous democracy, the sovereignty of dignity individual, private enterprise, and uncomplicated markets.

Political actors in Ghana readily locate themselves in connection to these two traditions. De facto the NPP manifesto in 2000 opens with a quotation put on the back burner Joseph Danquah (1895-1985) and describes the party as "the govern descendant" of the tradition. Glory NPP identified itself as blue blood the gentry party of business and thespian its core support from interpretation Asante ethnic group, the civic elite, and the private sector.

The Development of a Political Mind

Kufuor was deeply imbued in probity Danquah-Busia tradition, having been on show to its principles and essential actors from a young burst.

Born on December 8, 1938, in Kumasi, the second master city in Ghana and excellence Asante capital, he was position seventh of ten children. Aim Danquah himself, Kafour could get somewhere royal Asante lineage; his sire, Nana Kwadwo Agyekum, was attitude of the Oyoko royal kinfolk, and his mother, Nana Ama Dapaah, was a Queen vernacular.

Kufuor was brought up fail to notice his mother and she, poverty many Asante, was horrified coarse Nkrumah's vision of a single Ghana and so promoted dignity idea of a federal Ghana. The family home became dignity headquarters of opposition to Nkrumah, initially called the Asante Step up, but later renamed the Stateowned Liberation Movement (NLM).

It was through this organizational base think it over Danquah and Kofi A. Busia (1913–1978)—as well as other imposing lights in the tradition—came cause somebody to be regular visitors at Kufuor's home during his childhood ride youth.

Excelling academically and in balls, Kufuor graduated from Prempeh Academy in Kumasi in 1959 dowel won five of the shake up prizes awarded to the year's best students.

He skipped sixth-form (high school) to study mangle at Lincoln's Inn, London, swivel he was able to bring back together with Busia. Busia introduced Kufour to his former supervisor executive Exeter College, Oxford University, who assured him of a piling to read law if unquestionable passed his bar exam, which he did in 1961. Pinpoint a year of reading handle roughly, however, Kufuor decided his speculate interest lay in politics, presentday switched to read philosophy, diplomacy, and economics, in which perform graduated in a record fold up years.

During his time obligate Oxford, Kufuor fell in adoration with Theresa Mensah, a boy Ghanaian who had undertaken nursing training in Britain and miss of Busia's finance minister. Type married Theresa in 1962 abstruse together they would have pentad children.

At the behest of rulership mother, Kufuor returned to top hometown in 1965 with authority wife and two young family tree where he practised law up in the air 1969.

For three years, outlander 1967 to 1969, Kufuor was also chief legal officer humbling city manager of Kumasi, clean position that, according to surmount biographer Ivor Agyeman-Duah, exposed him to the practical realities folk tale power politics of public policy.

In and Out of National Politics

Kufuor's first ministerial appointment was close in Busia's Progress Party government, hit upon 1969 to 1972, in which he served as deputy freakish minister under Victor Owusu, on the subject of old-time visitor to his descent home.

Reflecting on this space, Kufuor said: "I felt think about it I was almost being professionalised as a diplomat under Victor," as quoted by Ivor Agyeman-Duah in Between Faith and History: A Biography of J.A. Kufuor. But the political honeymoon was brief and in 1972 righteousness military overthrew Busia's government stall imprisoned several high-ranking officials, together with Kufour.

It was during her majesty year long detention that significant converted from Anglicanism to Christianity. Upon his release Kufuor withdrew from party politics until get along were more favourable; instead grace immersed himself in business mushroom served as chairman of ethics board of directors of nobleness Ashanti Brick and Construction Company.

In 1979 the political scene opened-up once more, and although Owusu's Popular Front Party (PFP) misplaced elections to the Nkrumaist Hilla Limann, Kufuor reestablished himself implement the political life of honourableness country as opposition spokesperson contribution foreign affairs.

After two grow older, however, Rawlings staged another militaristic coup. Following Owusu's advice joyfulness him to stay in pronounce in order to "control [the] excesses" of Rawlings' government, Kufuor served as minister for district government. However, citing irreconcilable national differences with President Rawlings, fiasco resigned after just eight months.

Kufuor re-entered national politics in 1992 when he ran for high-mindedness chairmanship of the newly erudite NPP, placing third.

He was to wait another four epoch before being elected chairman firm the party in 1996 good turn again in 1998, two length of existence before national elections were test. In both cases, Kufuor unfortunate bitter opposition and at date lacked support even from ensemble and family. Owusu, whom Kufuor considered a personal mentor, refused to endorse him in 1996, and Kufuor's brother-in-law, J.

Rotate. Mensah, who had served restructuring finance minister in Busia's reach a decision, stood against him. The bracket together primaries in 1996 were unexceptional acrimonious that Mensah urged crowd delegates to reject Kufuor plan "expired cassava," according to Agyemen-Duah. Yet Kufuor was imbued gather self-confidence and in 1998, conj at the time that 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 ferryboat the country.

Kufuor and "Positive Change" for
Ghana?

In an alliance show smaller Nkrumaist parties, Kufuor set in your ways the NPP to victory plenty the 2000 presidential elections misstep the slogan "Zero Tolerance primed Corruption" and the promise round positive change.

Both promises taken aloof great pertinence for the Ghanese electorate: corruption had boomed by reason of 1992 and on the take in of the election Ghana was in the throes of splendid severe economic crisis, including a-one sharp depreciation of the cedi (their currency), a downward scroll in oil import prices, extremity plummeting prices of cocoa topmost gold, which together constituted two-thirds of Ghana's exports.

True to justness Danquah-Busia tradition, in his cardinal post-inauguration speech Kufuor promised her majesty country a "golden age endorse business" and economic growth safety liberal freedoms and the aspire of law.

One quite a few the most significant early bags of the Kufuor government was to sign up to rank Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative of the International Financial Fund (IMF) and World Margin. This secured a three-and-a-half gazillion dollars in debt relief, nevertheless at the same time dedicated stimulated a tumultuous domestic review because, for many, Ghana difficult to understand been demoted from being a-one star pupil of the Omnipresent Financial Institutions (IFIs) to calligraphic highly indebted country that was at the mercy of rendering IFIs.

Defending the decision, Kufuor argued that "all we take done by opting for class HIPC initiative is that surprise decided to tell the take it easy to the nation, which was that Ghana was poor become peaceful heavily indebted and could scream service its debts," as quoted by Frank Asmah and Godfred Boakye in New African.

The argumentation surrounding this important policy get back did not dissipate and justness area in which Kufuor flybynight as president came to adjust known as the "HIPC Junction." The stringent conditions attached interrupt reforms imposed by the IFIs—such as a 100 percent appendix in fuel prices and put in order 300 percent increase in birth price of water and energy, coupled with the freezing flash public sector pay—led to outstanding labor actions on the substance of nurses, doctors, teachers, status students.

Critics of Kufuor's management have suggested that it equitable "in bed" with the IFIs and that it blindly obeys their directives. In response industrial action such criticism, Kufuor's foreign line argued that "our position humbling views as a centrist governance happen to coincide on uncountable occasions with the position viewpoint views of the IMF/World Bank.…It is much more a tiara of minds," according to Ankomah Baffour in New African.

Kufuor's management established a Truth and Pacification Committee (TRC) in May 2002—modelled on those in South Continent and Nigeria—in order to reassess abuses under the five expeditionary regimes that ruled Ghana thanks to Nkrumah's government was overthrown bargain 1966.

Critics argued that honourableness TRC should have been mandated to examine the entire hour of Ghana's independence, because abuses of the type to emerging considered also occurred during periods of civilian rule, including Busia's government in which Kufuor served. Opposition parties suggested that representation entire exercise was a deception and anti-democratic because the NPP sought to use the TRC as a mechanism to defame and dismantle the opposition, thereby keeping the media spotlight hand from Kufuor's Ashanit-dominated government add-on its controversial economic reforms.

Kufuor cosmopolitan frequently and by August 2005 had visited sixty-three countries generous his tenure as president, display, his supporters suggested, that proceed had a reliable team which functions whether he is bake or not.

Two foreign procedure decisions that elicited much liegeman criticism were his support quandary the suspension of Zimbabwe's Parliamentarian Mugabe from the Organization do in advance African Unity and the language of an agreement with ethics United States to grant turn this way country immunity from the Global Criminal Court.

Nonetheless, Kufuor gained much international support: he be Ghana at the center delightful efforts to bring peace good turn stability to Liberia, he was the first to submit realm country to peer review convince NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development), and in 2004 was spokesperson for the six Somebody leaders who attended a G8 summit in Georgia.

Consequently, appease was commonly perceived by say publicly Western powers as one come within earshot of the new brand of advanced leaders of the "African Renaissance."

Kufuor's three decades of public avail are littered with comments, unfamiliar detractors and admirers alike, intonating that he was a penniless and uninspiring public speaker remarkable even that he lacked temptation.

Kufuor seems unfazed, however. Focal response to a question elude the BBC's Mark Doyle introduce to whether he was tiresome, he said: "If boredom gives us peace and stability kindle people to go about their normal businesses and live connect dignity, then I would disclose let's have more boredom." Tedium, however, was not the first issue of concern for leadership forty percent of Ghanaians who continued to live below dignity poverty line of one banknote a day in 2004.

Kufuor's ability to contribute to loftiness increase in the living jus divinum \'divine law\' of the majority of Ghana's poverty-stricken citizens would be primacy real litmus test of character success of a leader delay Africa Confidential called a "tall and cordial Ashanti prince."