Leader of the Movement for Change,Alan Kyerematen,has accused the former President John Agyekum Kufuor of working against his presidential ambitions.
Kufuor has endorsed Bawumia before, which wasn’t an issue, Alan said, however, this time, Kufuor’s comparison of Bawumia with other candidates, lauding the vice president as “better” or “the best” elevates him above other candidates suggesting it undermines his own efforts in the race.
Kyerematen emphasized his position as a key contender in the election, highlighting the significance of not overlooking John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, as both he and Kufuor are respected former leaders of the nation.
He urged the former president to refrain from making public endorsements, cautioning that such actions could create division and negatively impact the political landscape.
Speaking in an interview on Starr FM on December 5, 2024, he stated, “I will tell President Kufuor that after a distinguished career in politics, he should stay out of election pronouncements about the pending election.
“You may recall that this is not the first time that he is endorsing the vice president, and nobody had any difficulty with that. But when you go to the extent of making comparisons that he is better or the best, then it means that you are campaigning against the two of us.
“And the way I see it, if he was saying this also in respect of former President John Mahama, then it is very strange because I will find it difficult to understand how he will be able to convince the NDC that Bawumia is better than former President John Mahama.
“It would be strange for a former head of state to make a judgment against another former head of state. So if that were the case, then I take it that he is basically campaigning against me.”
Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has lauded former President John Agyekum Kufuor for his exceptional leadership qualities and his vast experience in Ghanaian politics.
Speaking in an interview with the media, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, emphasized that Kufuor’s enduring influence and his unique ability to navigate the political landscape of Ghana from the era of the Busia regime to the present day is nothing short of remarkable.
“One thing we should give President Kufuor is that he is an astute judge of human character, an esteemed politician, and an experienced leader,” the minister remarked.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor is a prominent Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from January 7, 2001, to January 7, 2009.
His presidency is notable for being the first peaceful transition of power between democratically elected governments in Ghana since its independence in 1957.
Mr Agyekum’s administration focused on economic reforms, infrastructure development, and improving the educational system.
Before his presidency, Kufuor had a diverse career as a lawyer, businessman, and politician, holding various positions including Deputy Foreign Minister and Secretary for Local Government.
He is often referred to as the “Gentle Giant” due to his calm demeanor and significant stature. Kufuor’s contributions to Ghana’s political landscape have left a lasting impact, and he remains an influential figure in Ghanaian politics.
Were you the only intelligent and thoughtful person in President Kufuor's government? You should be grateful that President Kufuor gave you the opportunity to serve in his administration. – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful responds to Alan Kyerematen pic.twitter.com/zUpiOFLiQh
Former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, has shared his resolve to complete his constitutionally mandated term in office to prevent the country from experiencing another military takeover.
Speaking in a recent interview with morning show hosts at his residence, Kufuor explained how his personal experience with military rule shaped his determination to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition of power.
Kufuor, who served as president from 2001 to 2009, expressed that his tenure was marked by a strong commitment to national development across various sectors.
However, he made it clear that one of his main priorities was ensuring Ghana’s political stability and avoiding a return to military governance.
“I had experienced military rule and did not like the consequences of military rule. So, while I was president, I worked hard to ensure that my tenure was over, and I handed over smoothly to the next president of the country. I did everything within my reach to ensure that the country does not return to military rule,” he said.
The former president emphasized that, during his time in office, he worked tirelessly to ensure that his constitutional mandate was fulfilled and that the democratic processes of the country were respected.
Kufuor’s dedication to a peaceful handover process was rooted in his deep understanding of the fragility of democracy and the need to protect it at all costs. His efforts were instrumental in the successful transition of power following the 2008 elections, setting an example for future leaders in Ghana and across Africa.
In his closing remarks, Kufuor reaffirmed his belief that the stability of Ghana’s democratic system required active participation and vigilance from all political leaders.
Through his reflections, Kufuor’s words serve as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding democracy and the peace that Ghana has worked hard to achieve over the years.
His leadership during a critical time in the country’s history remains a testament to the strength and resilience of Ghana’s democratic system.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuorhas affirmed his determination to vote in the upcoming December 7, 2024, election. At 85 years old, Mr. Kufuor emphasized that nothing will prevent him from exercising his right to vote—even if he needs assistance to reach the polling station.
In an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, he highlighted the importance of the 2024 election, describing it as crucial for the nation.
“This election is very crucial. I will cast my vote as long as I’m in good health by God’s grace, even if I have to be carried to the polling station,” he told host Osei Bonsu, popularly known as OB.
When asked about his polling station, Mr. Kufuor shared that he would be voting in Ayawaso West Wuogon, where he also owns a home.
With approximately 24 days remaining before Ghanaians choose their next president from a field of 13 candidates, political parties have ramped up their nationwide campaigns to win over voters.
One of the notable events during John Agyekum Kufuor’s presidency was the legal confrontation involving Tsatsu Tsikata,the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
Tsikata was prosecuted and controversially sentenced to prison for allegedly causing financial loss to the state.
While incarcerated at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, he became unwell and was subsequently transferred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for medical care. This prompted then-President Kufuor to extend a pardon to Tsikata, who is affiliated with the National Democratic Congress.
However, even while hospitalized, Tsatsu Tsikata declined the pardon offered by Kufuor, emphasizing his determination to clear his name and prove his innocence.
“I have never sought, and I do not need your pretence of mercy. Justice is my quest, and I will pursue this quest in accordance with the constitution and laws of Ghana,” parts of his letter read.
Tsatsu Tsikata also explained how the government had literally conspired, through now-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was the Attorney General at the time the charges were initially brought against him, to convict him at all costs for political reasons.
“Your apparent exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy in respect of a conviction and imprisonment that you were the prime mover of is the height of hypocrisy,” it added.
As already known, Tsatsu Tsikataappealed his conviction and won against the state, proving that the claims made against him were untrue.
Sights have been made of the handwritten letter shared by Pulsegh from the revered lawyer in which he rejected Kufuor’s offer.
A captivating image showcasing the close bond between ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor and his son, Edward Agyekum Kufuor, has become a social media sensation among Ghanaians.
The duo, donned in a charming fusion of traditional African prints and modern attire, exude a striking resemblance, sparking a variety of reactions from netizens who are touched by the heartwarming father-son moments.
It is believed that they took the picture when Eddie Kufuor visited his father as part of his 56th birthday celebration.
One essential background to notice is the picture of former First Lady Theresa Kufuor.
Theresa Kufuor, the wife of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, died at her home in Peduase, surrounded by her family, on Sunday, October 1. She was 87.
Recalling the event, Kufuor revealed that at the time, Bawumia served as a research assistant to the Governor of Ghana.
During a conference in London, Vice President Bawumia, even in his early career stage, showcased his prowess by delivering a compelling message to an international audience composed of financial experts and influential government figures.
Kufuor, who was the President at the time, distinctly remembers being impressed by the content of Bawumia’s speech and the confidence with which he delivered it.
Intrigued by the young leader’s potential, Kufuor made the decision to reach out to Bawumia.
Despite having never spoken to him before, Kufuor expressed his admiration for the Vice President’s performance and encouraged him to persevere on his path.
He shared a prophetic belief that Bawumia was destined for greatness and foresaw a promising future for the young leader. “I met him far away in London, this young man delivered a message at an international conference of giants of the city of London in the financial world and some very powerful members of government.
He finished his speech and he was going to sit down but there was something in his statement and about him. I was impressed with him, I have never spoken to him before but I asked someone to call him and I told him he should carry on like that, prophetically he is meant for greatness and then you will go far,”John Agyekum Kufuor stated during an address at University of Professional Studies Accra (Accra) where Vice President would be delivering his vision for Ghana ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Founder and Leader of #TheNewForce Movement, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, has disclosed that former President John Agyekum Kufuor is the inspirational figure for him among the Presidents in the Fourth Republic.
In a recent interview, Cheddar expressed admiration for the leadership and governance style of the former President, highlighting Kufuor’s impact during his tenure.
He noted that during the Kufuor regime, the living conditions of the citizenry significantly improved.
“My favorite President in the 4th Republic is John Kufuor. Nana Akufo-Addo has also done well in terms of promoting Ghana. He would have done more but for COVID”. — Nana Kwame Bediako (Cheddar) pic.twitter.com/EXJoI6MrlW
Asked which of Ghana’s presidents inspire him during an interview on Asempa FM, he noted that: “Kwame Nkrumah is the first one but after that, I think that it’s Kufuor.”
He acknowledged that Ghana’s other Presidents did their best and are still doing their best, however, in his view, President Kufuor’s performance outweighs that of the others.
“I’m sorry if I’ve not mentioned the names of some people but it’s not like they did not put in their best. We appreciate all they did but looking at the living conditions of people during the Kufuor regime, you realise that things were better then,” he said.
One of the daughters of the former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, has reminisced about cherished moments with her late mother, the former First Lady, Theresa Kufuor.
In her tribute to her mother, who passed away on October 1, 2023, Helen Saah reflected on the disciplined upbringing they experienced and the emphasis on adhering to rules.
She noted that their childhood was marked by a strict demand to follow the household rules, to the extent that they couldn’t even pick mangoes from the tree without seeking their mother’s permission.
“You were the perfect mother for me. My earliest memories of you were of a beautiful, gentle and kind woman who smiled often and would entertain guests at the house on Switchback Road.
“I saw a different side to you after the coup in 1972, when we lived in Kanda. You knelt and prayed often. You fasted, too. You were strict and had rules which we had to follow. One of the earliest rules was that we couldn’t claim ownership of things we found in the house or compound. Everything, including the mangoes on the tree, belonged to you, so we had to ask permission,” she wrote in her tribute, captured in the funeral brochure of the funeral of the late Theresa Kufuor.
Helen Saah also talked about her experiences learning life lessons from her mother, such as how understanding she was to others, and cooking.
“You taught me how to cook and bake. I remember your homemade ice cream and the first time you baked bread. It didn’t go according to plan and the loaves looked like bricks. We laughed so much when Daddy gave the bricks a nickname: ‘Awudu Bomber.’ After that, you corrected the recipe and we had a constant supply of homemade bread. Christmas was an elaborate affair with a real tree, turkey and all the trimmings. As teenagers, you taught us to be punctual because you would drive off and leave latecomers behind.
“You had a big heart and you were a mother to not just your biological children but to people from all walks of life. There were three of us in Achimota School but I remember when 11 children arrived unannounced for their exeat. I was nervous but you welcomed them with smiles and hurriedly prepared lunch.
Our house was often filled with visiting relatives and friends. I remember when PK came for the holidays because he taught us Abronoma and we would run races holding sheets with the ends tied around our waists. We learned so much from Uncle Badu, Angie, Sister Ama and Sister Afia when they came to stay. I also got freebies such as kelewele from your ‘daughter’ Abena who sells food behind Association School and the one who sells roasted plantain near Mary Mother. You said it was important to give people moral support,” she added.
Theresa Kufuor passed away quietly on Sunday, October 1, 2023, at home. On Thursday, November 16, 2023, a state funeral was held in her honor on the State House forecourt in Accra.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has revealed a part of his life that tells the strength of his dearly departed wife, Theresa Kufuor.
According to the statesman, Theresa Kufuor delivered their fifth child and took care of their five children all by herself.
Kofi (Owusu Afriyie Kufuor), their fifth child, was born on June 16, 1972, by “a single parent,” as the former president says in his tribute to his deceased wife.
Former President Agyekum Kufuor explained that it was not of his will to not be present when Theresa delivered. He had been arrested and was serving a 15-month jail term following a coup d’état on January 13, 1972.
Kufuor, who was appointed Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1969 after being elected MP for Atwima Nwabiagya under the Kofi Abrefa Busia government, was one of 54 government officials thrown into the Ussher Fort prison.
According to the former president, for almost 8 weeks, they were denied contact with family.
But “this angel of a woman, to my amazement, would survive the ordeal of raising five children on her own – in my absence, Aba gave birth to our fifth and last child, Kofi, as a single parent on 16 June 1972.”
He posited that Theresa Kufuor’s “strong and exceptionally disciplined personality did indeed come to the rescue of our family.”
“I could not have foreseen the crash that befell us and could not, therefore, have made any provision for our ordeal. However, Aba rose above that. With her strong, prayerful faith in God, Aba’s spirit would not and could not be broken. She survived on very little then; and she truly kept our hopes alive,” he added.
The statesman, who was then in his thirties, noted that he was left with a sense of optimism that was most assuring Theresa was allowed to visit him in prison.
“I survived my incarceration of 15 months largely because of Aba. She was a woman of sacrifice, devotion, humanity and resilience,” he said.
Today, a state burial is being held for the late Theresa Kufuor who departed from this world at her residence in Peduase, surrounded by her family, on October 1 at the age of 87.
The final funeral rites will extend into the weekend, concluding on November 18 at Heroes Park in Kumasi.
The late Theresa Kufuor is survived by her husband, five children, and 14 grandchildren.
In 1969, I got elected as a Member of Parliament of the Second Republic (for Atwima Nwabiagya in the Ashanti Region). I then also got appointed as Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the premiership of the late Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia. So, our young family had to relocate from Kumasi to Accra. Aba, to my delight, took our evolving life in her stride as she adjusted effortlessly, and with confidence, to our new milieu of a life in national politics and diplomacy.
Between 1969 and 1971, with both Aba and me in our early thirties, our lives seemed to be on an upward trajectory. But this was to be truncated with a shocking and unexpected coup d’état on 13 January 1972, which arrested practically all the members of the government and threw us in prison. Our world had crashed.
Fifty-four of us, including cabinet ministers, junior ministers and some Members of Parliament, would remain in jail for a minimum period of between 12 and 15 months each; having initially endured – incommunicado, for almost eight weeks – denial of any contact with family or the outside world at Ussher Fort prison. This angel of a woman, to my amazement, would survive the ordeal of raising five children on her own – in my absence, Aba gave birth to our fifth and last child, Kofi, as a single parent on 16 June 1972. Her strong and exceptionally disciplined personality did indeed come to the rescue of our family.
I could not have foreseen the crash that befell us and could not, therefore, have made any provision for our ordeal. However, Aba rose above that. With her strong, prayerful faith in God, Aba’s spirit would not and could not be broken. She survived on very little then; and she truly kept our hopes alive. When allowed to visit me in prison, she left me with a sense of optimism that was most assuring. I survived my incarceration of 15 months largely because of Aba. She was a woman of sacrifice, devotion, humanity and resilience.
On January 13, 1972, the Kofi Abrefa Busia government fell victim to an army coup led by Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong within twenty-seven months.
The government was accused of economic mismanagement, and as such, 54 government officials were arrested and thrown into the Ussher Fort prison.
Among those jailed for 15 months was John Agyekum Kufuor, who was appointed Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1969 after being elected MP for Atwima Nwabiagya.
Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong (L) and Kofi Abrefa Busia (R)
According to the former president, for almost 8 weeks, they were denied contact with family.
He made this known in his tribute to his late wife, Theresa Kufuor whom he said took the burden of raising five children all by herself.
But “this angel of a woman, to my amazement, would survive the ordeal of raising five children on her own – in my absence, Aba gave birth to our fifth and last child, Kofi, as a single parent on 16 June 1972.”
He posited that Theresa Kufuor’s “strong and exceptionally disciplined personality did indeed come to the rescue of our family.”
“I could not have foreseen the crash that befell us and could not, therefore, have made any provision for our ordeal. However, Aba rose above that. With her strong, prayerful faith in God, Aba’s spirit would not and could not be broken. She survived on very little then; and she truly kept our hopes alive,” he added.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and late former First Lady Theresa Kufuor
The statesman, who was then in his thirties, noted that he was left with a sense of optimism that was most assuring Theresa was allowed to visit him in prison.
“I survived my incarceration of 15 months largely because of Aba. She was a woman of sacrifice, devotion, humanity and resilience,” he said.
Shortly after what I now perceive as a clearly fore-ordained introduction by our mutual friend Dr Kwame Appiah-Poku, Aba and I met in person on 1 July 1961 at a ball at Battersea Town Hall in London, to celebrate Ghana’s first anniversary as a republic.
Aba had just completed nursing school in Edinburgh and was on her way to pursue a midwifery course at the Radcliffe Infirmary, part of Oxford University. I was also on my way to Exeter College, Oxford, having just passed my Bar exams at Lincoln’s Inn in London.
My first impressions of my beautiful Aba were that of a soft-spoken and well-mannered lady; and within a year of bonding and courting, we both discovered that we very much enjoyed each other’s company.
We had the same cultural tastes in art, music and cinema and shared similar social preferences. Consequently, we decided to tie the knot; and this we did at Brompton Oratory in Knightsbridge, London, on 8 September 1962.
We were joined by Chief, our first male child, on 6 September 1963. By mid-1964, shortly after completing our studies in Oxford, we moved to London to pursue our respective careers. Our second child and first daughter, Nana Ama, was born in Golders Green in London on 29 November 1964. However, due to overwhelming pressure from my family in Kumasi, we decided to return home to Ghana.
Shortly after our return to Kumasi in January 1965, I joined Okomfo Anokye Chambers as a junior lawyer with Victor Owusu as senior partner. Aba later joined the Kwame Nkrumah University hospital as a nurse/midwife. Soon after that, on 4 November 1965, Aba and I welcomed our third child, Saah, into our rapidly growing family.
Our fourth child, Agyekum, was born on 16 February 1968. By the time he arrived, I was already embroiled in the web of public service. I had been appointed in 1967 as the chief legal officer and city manager of the second city of Ghana, Kumasi. That was our entry into civic and public life in Ghana.
Aba had a very confident personality that fitted in with ease everywhere we went, and which also allowed her to cope under the most challenging of pressures.
In 1969, I got elected as a Member of Parliament of the Second Republic (for Atwima Nwabiagya in the Ashanti Region). I then also got appointed as Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the premiership of the late Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia. So, our young family had to relocate from Kumasi to Accra. Aba, to my delight, took our evolving life in her stride as she adjusted effortlessly, and with confidence, to our new milieu of a life in national politics and diplomacy.
Between 1969 and 1971, with both Aba and me in our early thirties, our lives seemed to be on an upward trajectory. But this was to be truncated with a shocking and unexpected coup d’état on 13 January 1972, which arrested practically all the members of the government and threw us in prison. Our world had crashed.
Fifty-four of us, including cabinet ministers, junior ministers and some Members of Parliament, would remain in jail for a minimum period of between 12 and 15 months each; having initially endured – incommunicado, for almost eight weeks – denial of any contact with family or the outside world at Ussher Fort prison. This angel of a woman, to my amazement, would survive the ordeal of raising five children on her own – in my absence, Aba gave birth to our fifth and last child, Kofi, as a single parent on 16 June 1972. Her strong and exceptionally disciplined personality did indeed come to the rescue of our family.
I could not have foreseen the crash that befell us and could not, therefore, have made any provision for our ordeal. However, Aba rose above that. With her strong, prayerful faith in God, Aba’s spirit would not and could not be broken. She survived on very little then; and she truly kept our hopes alive. When allowed to visit me in prison, she left me with a sense of optimism that was most assuring. I survived my incarceration of 15 months largely because of Aba. She was a woman of sacrifice, devotion, humanity and resilience.
After my release from detention, she returned to practice nursing at Cocoa Clinic, where she rose to the position of the clinic’s first-ever matron. Only once did Aba strongly protest about my absence from home, as my entrepreneurial businesses kept me away for extended periods of time. Her commitment to our marriage and her exceptional will to be a loving wife, a caring home-maker and a firm but loving parent have produced the fruit of what our children have become today. She was firm, yet tender.
When I was elected to office as the second President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, Aba would play a pivotal but quiet role in shaping key social interventions, such as including the kindergarten stage for all the children of Ghana in the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education policy; the provision of one hot meal a day to primary school children across the nation; the launch of the National Health Insurance Scheme; and the introduction of free maternal care for all.
She also worked tirelessly as the founder of the Mother and Child Community Development Foundation to support early childhood development programmes across the country. Her Foundation built three schools and gifted them to communities in Nyanyanor in the Central Region, and in Kotobabi and Amansaman in Accra.
Through her Foundation, she also provided a breast cancer screening unit to a health-care services provider in Sunyani and she assisted bakers in Nsawam and Adoagyiri with baking equipment. She established a phone-in counselling centre to support and combat the stigmatisation of HIV/Aids patients. Remarkably, Aba rendered all her community action-based services without seeking any publicity.
Aba and I shared a gleeful sense of humour, which meant we could laugh at each other; just as we could naturally forgive each other for our unfailing human shortcomings. She and I embarked on many trips together as I pursued my political career and after I became President. However, what touched her most during our international trips was the recognition she received from Pope Benedict XVI, who bestowed on her the prestigious Papal award of Dame of St Gregory the Great. Throughout her life, she remained a devout Catholic; a passionate worshipper; and a chorister of Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra.
Aba, your departure has left an unbridgeable void in my life; but I take solace from the many mercies and blessings the good Lord has showered on our journey of 62 years: living long; the blessing of beautiful children; 14 splendid grandchildren; the honour of having served our nation together; the gift of loving; extended families; and a network of friends around the world.
I am so thankful to the good Lord God for giving you to me as my life partner. Aba, you have earned your good rest and as the words of the Apostle Paul go: “You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith. Now there is in store for you the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to you on that day – and not only to you, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”
Fare thee well, Aba. Adieu, my dearest love!
Source: John Agyekum Kufuor
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
On September 8, 2023, President John Agyekum Kufuor and his late wife, Theresa Kufuor, commemorated 61 years since they exchanged their wedding vows—a remarkable milestone that garnered widespread celebration.
However, the joyous occasion took a somber turn in the late hours of Sunday, October 1, 2023, with the heartbreaking news of the passing of former First Lady Theresa Kufuor.
Amidst mourning, it has become necessary to take a look at the love life of the former first gentleman and former first lady of the land.
GhanaWeb has stumbled upon a passage from an undisclosed book that chronicles the love story between the couple.
This unidentified book, particularly within its chapter titled “Between Faith and History,” the online portal says vividly recounts John Agyekum Kufuor’s romantic journey with Theresa, a journey that commenced on the streets of London.
Their initial encounter transpired during the commemoration of Ghana’s transition to a republican status, at an event held in London.
“Of all these encounters, which Kufuor cherished in London and also at Oxford, none would be as lasting as the one with Theresa, a young Ghanaian lady he met in London on 1 July 1961 at the Ghana High Commission during an anniversary celebration of Ghana’s attainment of Republican status. Kufuor had completed law studies and this lady, who had studied Nursing in Edinburgh for four years, was going to the Oxford University Hospital to continue a Midwifery course.
“The coincidence tickled Kufuor but it also marked the beginning of their friendship. In conversation, it became clear that Theresa Mensah or Nee Mensah had lived in Kumasi previously and that her brother was the well-known economist J.H. Mensah,” the book snippet showed.
The book also delved into the romantic tale of how a young John Agyekum Kufuor fell in love with Theresa Kufuor, highlighting her culinary expertise along the way.
“From the first invitation to go out and the others that followed, Kufuor and Theresa settled in well in Oxford as students.”
The book said “Theresa was friendly and supportive. Occasionally, she would prepare him Ghanaian food as they strengthened their friendship.
“’I realised I was in love with Theresa and so when I decided to do the right thing – to get married, I was convinced she was the right choice.’
“Quite quickly and to the amazement of many of his friends, Kufuor decided to marry Theresa within only two years of knowing her and when he was two years from finally leaving Oxford. The engagement was fixed for July 1962 at his mother’s home near Muswell Hill and Barima Kwaku Adusei, an Asante royal who later became the King of Asante-Otumfuo Opoku Ware II was invited to preside over the ceremony. Two months later, the wedding took place at Bloomington Catholic Church opposite Harrods Department Store. After that, the couple returned to Oxford again for Kufuor to complete his studies.
“Because they would not be staying much longer in Oxford, they rented a flat in the fashionable Woodstock Road, near St. Anthony’s College. On 6 September 1963, just a year after the wedding, Theresa gave birth to a son, John Addo Kwarbo Kufuor whom Kufuor named for his beloved uncle. Kufuor explained why things were moving so fast for him: ”I was too serious. I also wanted a focus. I just did not want to be distracted at all,” the book said.
Dr. Kwabena Osei-Adubofour, who serves as a special aide and spokesperson for former President John Agyekum Kufuor, has entreated sympathisers and well-wishers who wish to extend their condolences to the statesman over the death of his wife, Theresa Kufuor, to do so from tomorrow, Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
He made the plea when he provided an update on the former president’s condition following the passing of his wife.
“It was very sad and shocking, and it happened yesterday late in the afternoon and the old man [former president Kufuor] did not take it kindly at all because it was a shock to him but this morning, I’ve seen that he has recovered to some extent from the shock,” Dr. Osei-Adubofour said.
“You know, he is old enough to understand death and normally when people come to inform us about the bereavement of other people, he kept on saying death is a journey everyone will embark on, and so he understands and had tuned his mind to it despite that the initial occurrence was very serious and shocking.”
He therefore said: “We welcome people coming to show their love and condolences, but I will plead with them to start it tomorrow because it happened less than 24 hours ago and we need to do some logistical work like putting up some canopies and all that so let them give us free time today, and then they can start coming tomorrow.”
According to sources close to the family, Mrs Theresa Kufuor died at her home on Sunday, October 1.
Mrs. Kufuor held the esteemed position of Ghana’s First Lady from January 7, 2001, to January 6, 2009 after her husband, John Agyekum Kufuor, assumed the presidency, succeeding Jerry John Rawlings.
During her time as First Lady, Theresa Kufuor made a significant impact by establishing the Mother to Child Community Development Foundation. This foundation was dedicated to promoting the healthy development of children and preventing the transmission of diseases from mothers to their offspring.
This, in turn, resulted in notable advancements in healthcare access and a reduction in maternal and child mortality rates within the nation.
Mrs. Kufuor was also a passionate advocate for women’s rights and empowerment. She tirelessly championed various programs and policies aimed at elevating the status of women in Ghanaian society.
Meanwhile, Ghanaians including First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo have turned to social media to convey their heartfelt condolences and extend their sympathies to former President John Agyekum Kufour and his family.
Alan Kyerematen has refuted claims regarding his relationship with former President John Agyekum Kufuor, asserting that these attributions are inaccurate. Specifically, he has denied the assertion that it was President Kufuor who introduced him to the New Patriotic Party, emphasizing that this claim is untrue. In essence, Alan Kyerematen has clarified that his political identity is not associated with the former president, contrary to the widespread belief held over the years.
“People don’t know me. My political capital has nothing to do with President Kufuor… my political career has nothing to with Kufuor and if you ask him, he will confirm this. When he has to sometimes talk about it, then he is sad because people have said things about him he knows nothing of that he brought me but when he became president in 2001, the first appointments he did… I told him that I didn’t want to become a minister,” he said during his first public interview, on UTV, since going independent.
Alan Kyerematen went on to describe how and why he turned down President Kufuor’s offer of a ministerial position.
“I told him I didn’t want an appointment from but that some of us worked hard to bring him to power and so we should be able to stay behind so that when he is doing something that is not right, we can have the courage to tell him,” he added.
After formally leaving the NPP, Alan is heading a Movement for Change in an effort to win the presidency of Ghana in the general elections of 2024.
Former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen, has recounted when he refused a cabinet ministerial appointment by former President John Agyekum Kufuor, whom he once contested against during a presidential primaries hosted by the New Patriotic Party in 1996.
During the 1996 Presidential Primaries, he contested alongside leading personalities in the Party such as Professor Adu Boahen, Mr. J. A. Kufour, Dr. Dsane-Selby, Dr. Kwame Sarfo Adu, Mr. J.H. Mensah and Dr. Jones Ofori-Attah.
According to him, he was prevailed upon by some senior members of the Party, in particular, Mr. Akenten Appiah Menka and Mr. Stephen Krakue, both of blessed memory, to sacrifice the opportunity to contest for the leadership of the Party, and rather support my senior colleague aspirants.
He noted that from 1996 to 2000, he played a leading role in supporting the bid of the then candidate John Agyekum Kufour to win the general elections, and become President of the Republic in 2001.
Following the elections, Mr Kyerematen says he was offered a Cabinet minister position, which he declined.
“After refusing appointment as a Cabinet Minister in the aftermath of the elections, the President persuaded me to become NPP’s first Ambassador to the United States, a position I served with distinction,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen made this revelation when he announced his resignation from the NPP today, September 25, 2023.
In 2003, Mr Kyerematen was appointed as Minister for Trade and Industry and Presidential Special Initiatives, to implement a new economic paradigm which he had introduced in 2001, on the assumption of office by President Kufour.
Between 2003 and 2007, he led the Government’s programme for enhancing private sector development and ushering a Golden Age of Business in Ghana.
Former President John Agyekum Kufour has charged the newly launched lotto company, Game Park Limited to emulate the examples of its regulator; the National Lottery Authority (NLA) by setting up a foundation dedicated to supporting the good people of Ghana in the areas of Entrepreneurship, Mentorship Programs, Culture, Research and Science.
He said Game Park Limited is a refreshing new addition to the lottery companies in Ghana, and he is confident that the company will succeed.
Mr. John Agyekum Kufour said this when he addressed the official launch of Game Park Limited in Accra.
He said, the footprints of the NLA Good Causes Foundation are dotted in our communities and institutions, touching more than 500,000 lives in the areas of Health, Education, Arts and Culture and Youth and Sports Development.
According to former president Kufour the coming of Game Park Limited will add variants of games for the Ghanaian public, adding that as a proponent of locally owned companies, he welcomes Game Park Limited, to the Ghanaian Commercial space and applaud them for venturing into the competitive lottery space to “dine with the big boys.”
Former President Kufour also averred that 17 years of passing the National Lotto Act, the NLA has transformed as an institution in working with third-party collaborators and private lotto operators to generate revenue for national development.
He pointed out that the transformation reveals the significant role and immense support lottery plays through Good Causes worldwide, particularly in Health, Sports, Arts, Heritage, Education and the Environment.
He commended the National Lottery Authority (NLA) which plays the roles as a regulator and operator in the gaming space, for not monopolizing the space but opened it up for more companies.
Director General of the NLA
On his part, the Director General of the NLA, Sammy Awuku who spoke largely on responsible gaming and compliance noted that the NLA recently attained its Level Two Certification in Responsible Gaming from the World Lottery Association and is working on achieving Level 3 Certification.
He said, as a regulator, the NLA is excited that Game Park Limited is committed to inculcating Responsible Gaming in their daily operations and urged Game Park to operate with the highest sense of integrity, ensuring that their players are always given the authentic results of their stakes.
Sammy Awuku commended Game Park Limited for fulfilling all their obligations with the National Lottery Authority to become a third Party Collaborator, promising to we offer an even playing field for all NLA’s Third Party Collaborators.
Executive Director, Game Park Limited
In her welcome address, the Executive Director of Game Park Limited, Madam Bibi Bright said the journey of Game Park begun with a simple call from a Caribbean country to seek prospects in the Ghanaian Lottery space, amid several trips from Ghana to Jamaica and vice-versa, countless hours of phone conversations, satisfying obligations from the regulator.
She said, as a third party collaborator, licensed by the NLA, Game park is a wholly owned Ghanaian Company which draws its experience from its Technical Service Provider, Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), which is a premier gaming and entertainment provider in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
“Game Park is here to provide Ghanaians with exciting new games that have the best odds, are easy to play, easier to win and offer more. On 26th July, we introduced our first Game PICK 4 to the Ghanaian public while unveiling our ultra-modern studio, the Black Star Studio, where our live Draws are held at 9:00 AM, 12 Noon and 6:00 PM. These Draws are also broadcast live on Adom TV and Facebook for our viewing public,” she said.
Supreme Ventures Group
Chairman of Supreme Ventures Group Mr. Gary Peart said the company officially recognize the launch of Game Park Limited, a new lottery company on the Ghanaian landscape that represents a partnership between Jamaica and Ghana that holds so much more than economic and commercial significance.
“Yes, we’re very excited to support bringing a new dimension of gaming to Ghana and by extension the expansion of the industry, however, we must also pause to reflect on and appreciate the magnitude of the historical significance of this day,” he said.
The East Legon Football Academy (ELFA) embarked on a special visit to former President John Agyekum Kufuor, seeking his support and words of encouragement as they prepare for the prestigious Dana Cup tournament in Denmark.
The ELFA delegation was warmly received by the esteemed statesman, who emphasized the transformative power of sports in shaping the youth and fostering national pride.
Former President Kufuor expressed his wholehearted support for the team, urging them to give their best and bring honor to Ghana on the international stage.
ELFA’s founder and leader, Winston Yeboah Danso, expressed his immense enthusiasm for the upcoming journey to the northern part of Denmark for the Dana Cup tournament.
He described it as a significant step towards empowering young athletes to pursue their dreams and become professional stars.
Since its establishment in 2019, ELFA has been dedicated to nurturing talent through its after-school program, catering to boys and girls aged 5 to 16.
Office of former President John Agyekum Kufuor has denied reports claiming the death of the statesman.
In a press statement dated July 18, the Office of the former president said it has, over the past several days, been inundated with persistent rumours of the supposed passing away of former President John Kufuor.
According to Senior Aide & Spokesman for former President Kufuor, Dr. Kwabena Osei-Adubofour, such claims are false as the former president “is very much alive and well.”
“We therefore urge the general public to disabuse their minds of these malicious and uncanny rumours that spring out of nothing,” the statement added.
On the other hand, the unknown individuals behind the propagation of “such wicked untruths” have been cautioned to to desist from them henceforth.
The Office of the former President speculates that the perpetrators do so out of mischief-making and possibly for unfathomable political purposes.
Kumawood actor Mr. Beautiful has accused the John Agyekum Kufuor government for being responsible for the collapse of Concert party, the popular entertainment event.
The entertainment show which was usually hosted at the National Theater was a mixture of stage acting and music as well as comedy. It was a weekly show that was also aired on Ghana’s National Television.
Speaking in an interview with veteran broadcaster Fiifi Banson, the actor stated that Kufuor’s appointment in 2002 of Madam Eva Lokko as Director General of the state broadcaster, GBC, killed the Concert Party show.
“Concert party collapsed through policies of Kufuor but many are not aware. He brought a woman called Eva Lokko to head GBC, at the time our main sponsor was Key Soap.
“She hiked the fee Unilever was paying for the telecasting of the programme forcing them to withhold their sponsorship, that is when the entire enterprise collapsed,” he intimated.
The show was one of the most popular theatre events in the past that brought together a large number of performers, comedians, and musicians under the moniker Key Soap Concert Party.
According to many industry players, the collapse of the Concert Party has ruined Ghana’s theatre culture.
The University of Oxford’s Exeter College has honored the late former president John Agyekum Kufuor by exhibiting two pieces of art with his likeness.
The two commissioned works of art—a photographic portrait and an oil painting – will decorate the hall of an 18th century building, Cohen Quad, and the medieval 1600s dining hall of the college.
The art works by the British photographer Fran Monks and the Tunisian-Belgian oil painter Naima Aouni were inaugurated and unveiled by the historian and Rector of the College, Sir Rick Trainor last Tuesday.
The event was attended by a galaxy of patrons that included the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and his wife Lady Julia, as well as Lord Boateng of the British House of Lords, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Ghanaian and other African Ambassadors in Europe and family members of President Kufuor.
Sir Trainor said the over 700-year college and the university was proud of Mr Kufuor as one of its best-known alumni.
He said the former President had also joined the founders and distinguished individuals through the hanging of his portraits.
The Rector said Mr Kufuor had become a rare individual to have received such honours after his Honorary Fellowship under Rector Frances Cairncross.
He also praised the commissioned planning team that over the last two years worked on the event.
The team included the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the College, Yvonne Rainy; Historian and Mr Kufuor’s biographer, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, and the Alumni Relations and Events Officer, Amelia Crosse.
Humility
Later at a Fidelity Bank-hosted dinner, the Asantehene said Mr Kufuor humbled himself to the service of the country as President and that the pride Ghanaians had of him and the recognition he had received at the college, the university and around the world was squarely to do with his humility.
“He never changed before he became president, never changed during his presidency and remains the same after his presidency, “he stated.
Gratitude
Former President Kufuor said he never expected such an honour over half a century after he left Oxford where he had met his wife who, he regretted, could not be present because of ill health.
Placement value
Mr Agyeman-Duah, whose book, “Art and the Power of Goodness- A Collection of John Agyekum Kufuor,” with a foreword by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was later autographed by former President Kufuor for the Asantehene and other VIPs of the day, explained that the significance of “art in the University’s ancient traditions dated to its founding .
He said the commissioning of Mr Kufuor’s portraits in the almost sacred dining hall of the college amid the pantheon of intellectual gods of 700 years ago showed its placement value on the alumnus, Kufuor.
“For centuries to come, that portrait will resonate among the million who will see it,” he added.
The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has revealed the hidden circumstances that led to Ghana’s former President John Agyekum Kufuor being confined to a wheelchair.
According to the king of the Ashanti Kingdom, the former president failed to prioritize his health after he survived an accident on his way to the castle while he was president.
He detailed that former presidentJohn Agyekum Kufuor decided to put the country above himself when he had the accident despite his advice to him not to overwork.
Speaking at a dinner in Ransford in the United Kingdom (UK), Otumfuo said;
“He cannot walk and I said to him that it was his own fault. He had an accident on his way to the Castle, he was safe and went to the 37 military hospital and returned to the Presidency to work. I called him from Kumasi and he said [I’m in the office].
I asked what are you doing there, Ofa (Uncle)? and he said [I’m okay, nothing happened to me I’m fine]. I told him Ofa (Uncle) you better go home and rest. And I told him Ghana will still be there if you die. But he stayed in the office till 4pm before he left the office. This is the amount of sacrifice he had for Ghana,” starfmonline.com quoted Otumfuo as having said.
On November 14, 2007, former Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor, also then Chairman of the African Union, escaped unhurt when a private car crashed into his vehicle, rolling it over several times.
‘The car finally rested on the sidewalk and the people around helped his security men to pull him out. The president came out holding his head’, an eyewitness said.
A man using a Mercedes Benz, ignored the siren of the presidential convoy and drove straight into Kufuor’s vehicle at the Opeibea House traffic light Intersection on the Airport – 37 Military Hospital road.
The man who caused the accident was put before a Motor Court in Accra and charged with four counts of dangerous driving, negligently causing harm, driving under the influence of alcohol and failing to give way to the presidential convoy.
Investigations further revealed that the accused was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, and when tested with an Alco Sensor III, his alcohol level read 0.41% instead of the legal limit of 0.08%.
It was alleged that the accused person admitted to taking at least one bottle of alcoholic beverage before the incident.
Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s 73rd birthday party which was held in London was attended by high profile personalities including President Akufo-Addo.
Also, former president John Agyekum Kufuor was in attendance at the birthday party organized for Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The party was held at a plush location in London, United Kingdom; where the Asantehene has been for the past few days attending the coronation of King Charles II.
Videos sighted by GhanaWeb showed president Akufo-Addo eulogizing the Asantehene for his role especially in promoting peace and stability in Ghana before proposing a toast in his name.
The Asantehene and his wife Lady Julia are also captured in another video dancing to Amakye Dede’s Iron Boy surrounded by invited guests on the dance floor.
Otumfuo and his wife arrived in the UK last week and met King Charles at a private meeting before joining the coronation events on May 6 clad in Kente.
Akufo-Addo attended the coronation in his capacity as president of Ghana along with First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
Nana Asantehene is the 16th Asantehene, enstooled on 26 April 1999. He was born on May 6, 1950 making him 73 years this year.
His stool name, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is in direct succession to the 17th-century founder of the Ashanti Empire, Otumfuo Osei Tutu I.
He is currently the Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and one of the most revered traditional authorities in the country.
The death of a former deputy finance minister and member of parliament for Old Tafo, Anthony Osei Akoto, has shocked Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
The former MP was praised by Bawumia as a very dear friend and brother whose “fidelity to serving mother Ghana was indisputable” and whose “dedication to serving mother Ghana was unequaled.”
On March 20, a message on the official Facebook page of Parliament announced the death of Akoto Osei at the age of 64.
“Former Old Tafo MP, Hon. Dr Anthony Osei Akoto passes away. May he rest in peace,” Parliament’s post accompanied by a photo of the deceased read.
“I paid him a visit just a few weeks ago and was happy that he was doing much better. The news of his passing has therefore come as a complete shock. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
“I am happy to have had a brother in you and to have worked with you. Rest in peace, my brother,” Bawumia’s Facebook post read.
Who was Dr. Akoto Osei
Dr Akoto Osei was in the cabinet of former President John Agyekum Kufuor as the Minister of State for Finance and Economic Planning.
Before becoming the finance minister under ex-President Kufuor, he served as the deputy minister for the sector.
In May, 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo named Dr Anthony Akoto Osei as part of his 19 ministers who would form his cabinet as the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation.
He was a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Old Tafo Constituency in the Ashanti Region. While in Parliament, he served as the Ranking Member for the Committee on Finance, and a member of the Interior and Defence committees of the House.
He obtained a PhD from Howard University in 1987, a Master of Arts degree in Applied Economics from the American University in 1980. He had earlier obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Economics from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1978.
On 27 March 2002, he became a member of the Management Board of Merchant Bank (Ghana) Ltd. Previously, he worked as Associate Professor at Dollard University (USA) and previously as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Policy Analysis (Ghana).
Ghanaian entrepreneur and a philanthropist, Osei Kwame Despite, as part of his 61st birthday celebration paid homage to former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
In what has become an annual ritual, business mogul and owner of Despite Group of Companies, Osei Kwame Despite again marked his 61st birthday in grand style.
With over 15 expensive G-Wagon and Brabus vehicles as escorts, Dr. Kwame Despite was captured among other things, driving a red vintage car while parading through some streets in Accra.
As part of the celebrations, he visited former President, John Agyekum Kufuor at his residence, together with a couple of friends from the East Legon Executive Club.
In what appeared as a show of humility, Dr. Despite knelt before the former president who was seated, while shaking his hands.
Mr. Kufour blessed him and offered the business mogul a seat beside him.
Earlier, Despite as part of activities to mark the day donated huge sums of monies and food items to the Mampong School for the Deaf.
He also commuted to Dr. Ofori Sarpong’s home after meeting some members of the East Legon Executive Club.
On his arrival, he was greeted by the members of the executive club with smiles, a raucous welcome, and a birthday song.
Watch the video of Despite meeting Kufour:
After the birthday song, Dr. Kwame Despite gave a warm embrace to each team member to express his gratitude for joining him in celebrating his special day.
The 61-year-old businessman wore a simple but stylish long-sleeve shirt that he paired with a pair of blue-and-black trousers.
He complimented his appearance by donning a pair of dark eyeglasses and a dark-coloured ivy hat.
To commemorate the CEO of Despite Media Group’s birthday, additional events will be taking place throughout the day, which GhanaWeb would do well to cover.
A presidential aspirant of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, believes he stands very tall amongst all the aspirants vying for the party’s presidential race.
He added that he is the best person to lead the party on the flagbearership ticket in the run-up to the 2024 polls.
The former Minister for Trade and Industry in the John Agyekum Kufuor government was part of the seventeen 17 aspirants who contested the flagbearership of NPP in 2007 but polled 19 votes.
Dr. Apraku expressed confidence that his experience places him in a higher position to win the party’s presidential race which will catapult him to leading the country.
He joins the league of the Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, former Trade Minister, Kwadwo Alan Kyerematen and the former Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
Speaking with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News, Dr. Apraku stated, “I’m confident that my old experience is what is prevailing. I have a lot of experience, I think I’m in a better position than ever before to win this election and lead this country. I stand very tall amongst all the aspirants, my experience is overwhelming. I have practical experience in managing economies, and dealing with current problems. Furthermore, I believe I have a better chance than anybody in this race to win. The taste of the pudding is in the eating”.
Askedif NPP delegates will this time round vote massively for him, the former Offinso North Member of Parliament underscored, “there is time for everything, you may also recall that the first time I went, I was number three. I did far better than in the last instance. Well times are different now, and I have been around the country, I have been to fourteen 14, out of the sixteen 16 regions in our country”.
Profile of Dr. Konadu Apraku
Kofi Konadu Apraku was Minister for Regional Cooperation and NEPAD in John Kufuor’s administration from 2003 to 2006. He also served as the Minister of Trade and Industry under Kufuor from 2001 to 2003.
In the year 2008, he was appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers as ECOWAS Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research. He is responsible for Multilateral surveillance mechanism which involves regular assessment through joint surveillance missions of the economies of ECOWAS members’ state.
He ensured convergence criteria are being met and provide economic and statistical data for member state and help them attain the convergence criteria and the ECOWAS single currency.
He also liaised with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund [IMF], African Development Bank amongst other financial institutions to support the development of ECOWAS regions.
Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku was first voted into Parliament on January 7, 1997, to represent his constituency.
He polled 10,456 votes out of the 21,428 valid votes cast representing 37.80%.
He contested against Nana Oduro-Baah, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) aspirant who polled 10,257 votes representing 37.10%, Manu Yaw Joseph, PNC aspirant who polled 358 votes representing 1.30% and Emmanuel Kwame Boakye an IND aspirant who also polled 357 votes representing 1.30%.
He was re-elected on January 7, 2001, after he emerged winner during the 2000 general elections and polled 13,160 votes out of the 21,543 valid votes cast representing 61.00%.
He was again re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Offinso North Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the 2004 general elections with a total vote of 13,389 representing 50.30% of the total votes cast.
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has divulged details of a conversation he had with former president John Agyekum Kufuor regarding the party’s flagbearership contest ahead of the 2024 elections.
The Suame MP is a proponent of the Bawumia-Alan ticket and has been seeking opinions from bigwigs of the party about his proposal.
Whereas his plan has received some endorsement from persons within the party, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says John Agyekum Kufuour is against such an arrangement.
The Majority Leader told Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV that Kufuor shot down the proposal on grounds that it is against democratic principles.
In the view of Kufuor, the NPP has a history of providing fairgrounds for people to compete and therefore should not be scared of the challenge of Vice President Bawumia coming up against immediate-past Minister of Trade, Alan Kyerematen.
“President Kufuor has other ideas. He believes the party is a democratic party so we should allow the contest. I toned down because of what President Kufuor said. He probably was looking at it from a much broader perspective. He thinks the party has always been like this and that after the contest, unity will be restored so it should be kept like that. He wants us to leave them to contest,” he said in an interview published this week.
Unlike Kufuor who is against the arrangement, his Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani is reportedly in favor of the move and has even proposed ways of determining which of the two men should be flagbearer and which one should be running mate.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says that Mpiani recommended the recruitment of an independent body to conduct a survey on the popularity of both Alan Kyerematen and Mahamudu Bawumia.
“I went to see some elders in the party for that arrangement. I saw Kwadwo Mpiani and President Kufuor. Pianim believes it’s a good suggestion but who should contest as flagbearer and who should be running mate. He suggested that we engage an independent group to conduct a survey to determine which one becomes flagbearer and which one is running mate. I felt it was a profound statement,” he said.
Meanwhile Alan Kyerematen has announced his decision to contest the flagbearer race of the party, four days after he resigned from his role as Minister of Trade and Industry.
Alan Kyerematen in an address on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 announced his plans for the party and the country.
“His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been my good friend for a very long time and will always remain so. Based on our shared commitments, the ideals and principles that inspired the founding fathers of the NPP, we have competed in the past but have always worked together thereafter.
“The President has laid a strong foundation for the social-economic development of our country, although I believe there are things that could have been done differently,” the presidential hopeful stated.
Tsatsu Tsikata, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), 14 years ago, wrote a letter to then President John Agyekum Kufuor on the former president’s last day in office.
The letter was written form Tsikata’s hospital bed at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and it contained a rejection of an offer for Tsikata to return home after treatment instead of returning to prison.
Tsikata’s two-paged letter dated January 6, 2009, rejected a presidential pardon Kufuor had offered him as part of his presidential prerogative of mercy.
The renowned lawyer’s reason for rejecting the offer was that he wanted to pursue justice in the court of law to be cleared from the charge of wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
“I have never sought, and I do not need your pretence of mercy. Justice is my quest and I will pursue this quest in accordance with the constitution and laws of Ghana,” parts of his letter read.
It explained how government had literally conspired through now President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the Attorney General at the time the charges were initially brought against him, to convict him at all costs for political reasons.
“Your apparent exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy in respect of a conviction and imprisonment which you were the prime mover of is the height of hypocrisy,” it added.
Read Tsatsu’s full letter rejecting the presidential pardon
Dear President Kufuor,
An official from the Prisons Headquarters came to the Korle Bu Hospital Cardiothoracic Centre earlier today to inform me that he had a warrant under your hand granting me a pardon.
I was not allowed a copy of your document. Your apparent exercise of the Presidential prerogative of mercy, in respect of a conviction and imprisonment which you were the prime mover of is the height of hypocrisy. I have never sought, and I do not need, your pretense of mercy.
Justice is my quest and I will pursue this quest in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Ghana.
The desecration of justice that was perpetrated against me in the Fast Track High Court on June 18th 2008 was at your instance, initiated in 2001 with your first Attorney General Nana Akufo-Addo.
Nothing can divert attention from the responsibilities of the Judges before whom my appeal and other legal processes are currently pending concerning my case. Indeed, your action in these final hours of your administration improperly interferes with these judicial processes and is clearly in bad faith.
Your participation, indeed your leading role, in desecrating justice, not only in relation to me but in many other cases, are part of your legacy as President of Ghana. But I am convinced that these bad examples will not endure as part of our country’s future.
Psalm 94 verse 15 says prophetically: “justice will again be found in the courts, and all righteous people will support it.”
Yours Sincerely, Tsatsu Tsikata.
H.E President J.A Kufuor Jubilee House Accra
Tsatsu acquitted and discharged by Court of Appeal
After eight years of legal battle, Tsatsu Tsikata was cleared of the charges and the conviction reversed unanimously by the Court of Appeal, which acquitted and discharged him.
Justice Dennis Adjei said there was a miscarriage of justice when an Accra Fast Track High Court on June 18, 2008, found him guilty on three counts of wilfully causing financial loss of GH¢230,000 to the state and another count of misapplying public property.
In a 2021 interview with KSM, he said of the saga: “I think I said it nicely. I wrote him a letter on my hospital [bed] and I said I will not accept his pardon; and I wouldn’t accept it.
“By then, I already had an appeal pending against the decision that had been taken. I wanted to be vindicated, not pardoned. When you are pardoned it means that your conviction still stands but the penalty has been wiped away.”
Expressing delight at the overturned verdict, Tsikata quoted Psalm 94:15 “Justice will again be found in the courts, and all righteous people will support it ” and emphasised that indeed “justice has been found in the courts”.
To become the president of Ghana is the zenith of politics in this country, but getting there is not much of a walk in the park.
Even for those who have ever won the presidency before, the ability to stay for the two constitutionally-permitted terms (a total of 8 years) gives them an even better upper hand over their peers.
That has been the case for the sitting president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and only two of his predecessors: Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor.
All the other remaining presidents in the Fourth Republic of Ghana have only completed one term of four years, except for John Dramani Mahama, who is seeking another mandate to complete a four-year term, and to boast of a few other months in addition to his reign – this was after he took over the presidency upon the death of John Evans Atta Mills.
But Ghana could have had even more presidents.
The only problem with the possibility is that all of those candidates were never able to convince the Ghanaian electorates enough to give them their votes.
GhanaWeb takes a look back at the personalities who fall within this bracket, as well as the political parties they represented during their attempts to become president of Ghana.
The following list is in no particular order.
Dr. Edward Mahama:
Dr. Edward Mahama was at the People’s National Convention (PNC) in 2016.
George Aggudey:
George Aggudey was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP).
Thomas Ward-Brew
Thomas Ward-Brew was the presidential candidate of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) in the 2008 elections.
Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom:
Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom is a three-time failed presidential candidate who stood on the tickets of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and his own party, the Progressive People’s Party (CPP).
Hassan Ayariga:
Hassan Ayariga was a one-time presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention in 2012, and then again on the ticket of his party, the All People’s Congress (APC) in 2020.
He is an accountant, entrepreneur and a politician.
Michael Abu Sakara Foster:
Michael Abu Sakara Foster was the presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in the 2012 general polls.
He is an agronomist and politician.
Akwasi Addai Odike:
Akwasi Addai Odike is a Ghanaian businessman and politician.
He was the presidential candidate of the United Front Party (UFP) in the 2012 general elections.
Jacob Osei Yeboah:
Known famously as JOY, Jacob Osei Yeboah contested as an independent candidate in the 2012 and 2016 elections.
He is also the first independent candidate to stand for president in the fourth republic.
Henry Herbert Lartey:
Henry Herbert Lartey was the candidate of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) in the 2012 general elections.
He replaced his father, Daniel Augustus Lartey, as the leader of party.
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings:
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings was the First Lady of Ghana from June 4, 1979, to September 1979, and from December 31, 1981, to January 7, 2001.
Both times were under the presidency of Jerry John Rawlings, her husband.
In 2016, she became the first woman to run as president in Ghana, on the back of her break away political party, the National Democratic Party (NDP).
Ivor Greenstreet:
Born on May 31, 1966, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet was the presidential candidate for the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in the 2020 general elections.
He is the first physically-challenged person to run for president of Ghana.
Asiedu Walker:
Asiedu Walker was an independent presidential candidate in the 2020 elections.
Christian Kwabena Andrews:
Popularly known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom, Christian Kwabena Andrews stood on the ticket of his party, the Ghana Union Movement, as presidential candidate in 2020.
Brigitte Dzogbenuku:
Brigitte Dzogbenuku was one of the few female faces that appeared on ballot sheets for a presidential poll in Ghana. She was a former beauty queen, who won Miss Ghana 1990.
During the 2020 general elections, she was the presidential candidate for the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).
Akua Donkor:
Akua Donkor is the founder and leader of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP).
She appeared on the presidential ballot sheet in 2020.
Marricke Kofi Gane:
Also known as Kofi Ghana, Marricke Kofi Gane was an independent candidate in the 2020 general elections.
He is a management consultant, Chartered Accountant, a public speaker, and a book author.
Kwasi Busumbru:
People’s Action Party
Kofi Akpaloo:
Kofi Akpaloo is a Ghanaian politician and the leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana.
He was the party’s presidential candidate for the 2020 general elections.
David Apasera:
Daavid Apasera was the presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention (PNC) in the 2020 general elections of Ghana.
He was once a Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga in the Upper East region between 2001 and 2009.
Mr. Hosi, who denounced the practice, claimed that when politicians are faced with reality after gaining power, the circumstance makes them appear awful in the eyes of the public.
According to him, politicians are forced to take certain actions in order to appease the voters, which ultimately hurts the economy.
“Politicians should stop telling voters that they will reduce fuel prices when they come to power,” he said.
Speaking on Accra-based NET FM, Senyo Hosi said instead of politicians promising voters that they would reduce fuel prices when they came to power, they should rather assure that they would abolish a specific tax component on fuel.
He recalled how ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor promised to reduce fuel prices when he was campaigning to come to power, but when he won and reality stared him in the face, he had to apologize to Ghanaians.
He argued that fuel is not like any commodity that Government of Ghana has control over, stressing that “crude oil is an international commodity and so politicians do not have control over its price in Ghana.”
Nana Obiri Boahen, a former deputy general secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has condemned the accusations leveled at former President John Agyekum Kufuor for his statements on the current state of the nation.
Speaking in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Obiri Boahen said that no member of the NPP can say that the things Kufuor talked about are false.
He added that the hardships in the country are real and the former president should be allowed to express his views.
“The other time. I said that ‘akpeteshie’ (local alcohol) is now GHS4 per tot. Yesterday, I heard that in Sunyani, it is now selling GHS5 per tot and the full bottle is being sold at many places for GHS25. So, the reality of the situation on the ground is that the hardship is becoming scary.
“Yesterday, I read what President Kufuor said at a meeting with IMANI and it is generating a lot of issues. If President Kufuor speaks, who am I to criticise him? And I will never doubt anything President Kufuor says because of his experience in politics.
“No NPP member will not be cornered about the things Kufuor said… I have seen that people have started insulting him, what did he say wrong? Did he insult someone, did he talk against someone,” he said in Twi.
The former NPP General Secretary added that Ghanaians should brace for more hardships because prices of goods and services tend to go up during festive periods.
At the invitation of the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, Ghana’s former president, John Agyekum Kufuor, experienced something in the southeastern Asian country that forever changed his mindset about presidential tenures.
Narrating how that came to be, during his engagement with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Reviewing the 1992 constitution recently, Kufuor said that on arriving in the country he came face-to-face with two realities.
He said that after learning that Malaysia got its oil palm seedlings from Ghana, he arrived in the country to an even more eye-opening discovery of how well the country had utilized the ‘gift’ it got from his very own country.
“I was invited to Malaysia by Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, who was Prime Minister; I was president and it must have been 2005-2006 and it was a great eye opener to me. I had learnt that Malaysia took the oil palm seedling from here (Ghana) there. I got to Kuala Lumpur, the plane, as it was coming to land, you’ll see miles and miles of palm trees all over, and very modern agriculture.
“And then when I got there, probably, they just wanted to show me something, they took me to where they had refined palm oil into some oil that will be used even as engine oil. And then they used the husks for fertilizer for the palm trees, so every bit of palm.
“So, I said these people got this thing from us and we do not know how to do this. See what they are doing with it themselves. Then, at a point, he invited me to his offices in New Kuala Lumpur; the office is like a mosque, he took me to the rooftop, and Dr Mohammed, perhaps not taller than 5 feet… and then from there, I saw the layout of the city: the streets – beautiful, and the development,” he said.
President John Agyekum Kufuor also explained that having been quite surprised at the expanse of development and innovation that the Malaysians had used the oil palm seedlings for in their country, he asked Dr. Mohamed how they did it.
In response, he said the Malaysian Prime Minister asked him a question that jolted his mind so much, he came to the realization that there is the need for Ghana to relook at its constitutional arrangement for the tenure of its presidency.
“So, I gasped and said, ‘Oh, Mr. Prime Minister, since when have you been doing this?’ So, the man looked me up and down. The question he asked me was, ‘What’s your term of office?’
“I said, 4 years. So, he said back, what can you do in four years? By then he had exceeded 10 years and I’m not suggesting we go that way, but definitely, 4 years, he made the point forcefully that you don’t really create so much in 4 years,” he added.
Ghana’s oldest former president, John Agyekum Kufuor, has suggested that the tenure of office for a president or an elected government should be relooked at.
According to him, the current four-year tenure is quite problematic, leaving very little room for any leader to effectively cause a major developmental change in the country.
He added that it takes a while for any elected leader to even settle into the system before he can efficiently cause the changes needed in a country.
John Agyekum Kufuor made this known while speaking at a seminar on reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), at his residence in Peduase, in the Eastern Region.
The former president explained that he came to the realization after he was invited to Malaysia and got to see how much developmental growth the country had made, even though at the time of independence, it was on par with Ghana.
“Malaysia, by history – ’56, ’57, Ghana was at par with Malaysia, and we were both colonies of Britain but Malaysia has gone far ahead. 4 years? The man asked, what can we do in four years? And when I considered, I thought that we should do something about the tenure as the stage of development, we need to really develop but you vote in a new president or leader,” he said.
John Kufuor also explained the breakdown of how things turn out for politicians in a new government and why his suggestion for a review of the tenure should be looked at again.
“First year, very likely, he will come in with smart, naturally bright people, well-educated and all, but just good education is not enough to, say, enable you to sense how to attract investments so it would be win-win for your country and whoever the partner is.
“First year, all the bright youngsters you recruit as ministers will be learning to get the civil service, work with it, and what I discovered with our system is that the civil servants are so bright, like the politicians – they went to the same school, perhaps even the civil servants were brighter than the politicians , but the civil servant will be sitting there, getting this meagre pay… and will also hate the politician who just dropped in and instantly became like his boss and minister, when the civil servant knows that this minister does not know his left from right,” he added.
President John Agyekum Kufuor also used the opportunity to explain another major difficulty that is faced by new ministers in a government.
He said that in most cases, the civil servants, who mostly know the job far better than the appointed politicians, are not willing to offer the best advice to them, and for some specific reasons.
He added that by the time the civil servants come to accept and appreciate the politician who has been brought as their head, time might have elapsed, leaving close to no time for the politician to effectively work and bring the needed change to the country.
“And not until the civil servant gets the impression that the minister knows what he is doing, the civil servant will not volunteer to give the best advice. And it would take the good minister averagely at least one year to get to know the civil service to, in a way, harness it to use it to do the politics that must be done and then to help him go to parliament to get the law passed and then to bring back the policy to implement, by which time two to three years is gone. Fourth year, elections, all politicians go crazy,” he said.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says it is time Ghana abolished the Council of State concept in its governance structure.
He said the Council has outlived its usefulness in the current democratic dispensation.
“I have had a chance to express my views on the Council of State, very honourable distinguished institution, well-meaning. But, I can say I don’t think it is fit for purpose given the state of development of our country and given the fact that the nation is committed to practicing democratic governance.”
The former President said this at a seminar organised by the Professor Mike Oquaye Centre for Constitutional Studies at the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), in Aburi, Eastern Region, on Tuesday.
The seminar formed part of a series of engagements the Institute is undertaking to solicit input toward a possible review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The former President proposed that, instead of the Council of State, the country should set up a second chamber of Parliament to play the advisory role to the government.
In recent times, the relevance of the Council of State has been questioned with some political commentators, academia and civil society organisations suggesting that the body has outlived its usefulness, thus should be abolished.
Former President Kufuor explained that though the framers of the Constitution thought it wise to set up such a body to advise the President, the Council is no longer useful.
He said: “… We limit the uses of Council of State to advising just the President,” and that often, the President decided whether or not to take the advice.
“So, I have gone through all these periods and I have come to a conclusion, perhaps, what our Constitution should have to temper the extremes of democracy is not a Council of State, but a second chamber. A second chamber well composed not on basis of democracy so much. Democracy should always be implied in there though, but not entirely democratically but more on experience, prove in public spiritedness, prudence, maturity, care for the nation, inclusive.
“If we do that, and allow this second chamber to operate openly, in the full glare of publicity, then the wisdom that would be issued from their deliberations would impact not only the President… ,” he added.
The former President added that the term of the second chamber must not be tied to the tenure of any government to ensure that there is continuity in the provision of development for the people.
On limiting the appointing powers of the President, the former President said the country must practice the checks and balances in its pure form, especially among the lead organs of State.
He called for the amendment of sections of the Constitution that empowered presidents to appoint about 50 percent of Ministers from Parliament.
“The legislature should be apart, people being elected there should be encouraged to professionalise themselves as legislators so they will play the guard dogs or watchdogs on the executive,” he said.
The former President also urged that political parties should be allowed to participate in elections at the local level.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has questioned the outcomes of all the interventions made over the years to tackle the growing menace of galamsey activities in the country, involving security services such as the military and the police.
He explained that in the instances of some of these military interventions like the Operation Vanguard and other similar operations, instead of any major outcomes, the people were rather reported to have gone to brutalize the locals.
“Right now, we are criminalizing all these young people and we send soldiers: Vanguard and all these people, they go and molest the locals,” he lamented.
President John Agyekum Kufuor further expressed worry over the fact that it is yet to be known if any of these interventions produced results such as a team returning with pots of gold.
He also wondered if it is the case that these teams do not discover the gold that is mined in these small-scale mining sites or not.
“I haven’t heard of such expeditions coming back with, say a pot of gold back to Bank of Ghana.
“So, what’s happening? Don’t they find the gold? Everywhere we are getting Chinese and you haven’t heard any Chinese people reporting with the gold they got from our lands and waters,” he wondered.
John Agyekum Kufuor was speaking at a Seminar on Reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), at his residence at Peduase, in the Eastern Region.
Ghana’s only living former president who has served the full two-term of eight years, John Agyekum Kufuor, has called for the scrapping of the Council of State.
He indicated that the present times and the relevance of the Council of State no longer seem to align and as such, there is the need to relook at the composition of the constitutional body.
Backing the calls for the body to be scrapped, the former president, who has been part of Ghana’s parliamentary structure from the days of a constitutional assembly till the current parliament was constituted in 1992, explained that it is rather time for the country to consider a second chamber.
“So, I believe the framers of the constitution thought of a body like Council of State that necessarily should be composed in a way that would bring individuals of experience… the way the constitutional framers as far back as ’69 when, as I say, I was a member of the constituency assembly, and also then a member of the Majority side – in fact, a deputy foreign minister at that time, we limited the uses of the Council of State to just advising the president.
“And the president would meet this council in camera, given the nature of the members of the Council – very matured, experienced, people who wouldn’t go out of camera, after giving advice to the president, and whether the president accepted or didn’t accept, go and tell the public, ‘No, we advised him to do this or that but he rejected us. Perhaps, he didn’t even hear us.’ They wouldn’t do it by just the way they are, and this continued: ’69, ’79. ’92, and currently and I’ve gone through all these periods and I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps, what our constitution should have to temper the extremes of democracy, is not Council of State, but a second chamber,” he said.
Speaking at a Seminar on Reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which featured him, John Agyekum Kufuor stressed that such a second chamber should be composed to focus more on experiences, more than it would on democracy.
He added that while he acknowledges that this might cost the nation a little more, it is necessary if the country determines to progress.
“A second chamber, well-composed, not on basis of democracy so much; democracy should always be implied in there though, but not directly on democracy, but more on proving experience, proving public spiritedness and prudence, maturity, care for the nation inclusively.
“And then the general public, where they are going astray, there would be people – civil society organisations, or the media, would be able to join in and say, ‘No, Mr. President, take time. You’re after all, our first servant. You shouldn’t manage our affairs this way.
“Or, the Members of Parliament: yes, you may have the majority in the House, but the way you are going, you haven’t taken due account of such and such and such a situation to help stabilize the nation and also make for progress. And then the people advice; these days we hear of populism and grassroots actions, protest actions and all that, people must really get insights.
“And so, this is why I thought instead of our continued Council of State, perhaps the time has come and we should move into a second house. It might cost a bit more and so what: we want quality to serve the ends of good governance and the people at large more… then I’d say, perhaps the days of the Council of State should be over,” he explained.
The IEA engagement with the former president, John Kufuor, took place at his residence at Pokuase, and was moderated by the former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye.
Dignitaries in attendance included the former Chief Justice of Ghana, Sophia Akuffo; Sam Okudzeto, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association; the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Jean Mensa; Dr. Abu Sakara, a former presidential candidate on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP); among others.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has questioned the outcomes of all the interventions made over the years to tackle the growing menace of galamsey activities in the country, involving security services such as the military and the police.
He explained that in the instances of some of these military interventions like the Operation Vanguard and other similar operations, instead of any major outcomes, the people were rather reported to have gone to brutalize the locals.
“Right now, we are criminalizing all these young people and we send soldiers: Vanguard and all these people, they go and molest the locals,” he lamented.
President John Agyekum Kufuor further expressed worry over the fact that it is yet to be known if any of these interventions produced results such as a team returning with pots of gold.
He also wondered if it is the case that these teams do not discover the gold that is mined in these small-scale mining sites or not.
“I haven’t heard of such expeditions coming back with, say a pot of gold back to Bank of Ghana.
“So, what’s happening? Don’t they find the gold? Everywhere we are getting Chinese and you haven’t heard any Chinese people reporting with the gold they got from our lands and waters,” he wondered.
John Agyekum Kufuor was speaking at a Seminar on Reviewing Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), at his residence at Peduase, in the Eastern Region.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has denied reports that he invited the 98 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament who want the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta sacked, for a meeting.
Mr Kufuor said in a statement that the reports indicating that he invited the lawmakers are not true and should be disregarded.
“We wish to bring to the attention of the general public that there is no truth in the said publication,” the statement signed by his Senior Aide and Spokesperson Dr Kwabena Osei Adubofour, said on Thursday November 17.
It added “The office of the former President vehemently detests the developing trend in the disinformation that mischievously seek to draw President Kufuor into issues that he has not commented on.”
The 98 NPP Members of Parliament calling for Mr Ofori-Atta’s removal are being led by Asante-Akim North MP Kwame Andy Appiah-Kubi.
They believe that Mr Ofori-Atta should be changed for a fresh hand to manage the economy.
The MP said they do not expect Mr Ofori-Atta to present the 2023 budget statement.
The Office of former President John Agyekum Kufuor has refuted claims the former President has forfeited six months of his salary to the state.
In a statement signed by the Former President’s Senior Aide and Spokesman, Dr. Kwabena Osei Adubofour, he stated that “the reportage is fake, and should be treated with the contempt that it deserves.”
He added that while they are at a loss as to the object for such false reportage, the situation calls for “rational reflection on the use of the present avenues of communication that the digital age affords all of us.”
Dr. Adubofour further urged the general public to disregard the “utterly mischievous piece.”
It’s a question that begs for an answer – whether or not the Ghanaian people will give the New Patriotic Party (NPP) another chance to govern the country when electorates go to the polls in 2024 taking into cognizance the economic hardship that has engulfed the citizenry under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addowho is serving his last term in office.
A number of names have been mentioned as flagbearer hopefuls with a few confirming their willingness to lead the party to ‘break the eight’. One is Kwabena Agyepong, a former General Secretary of the party who also served as Press Secretary to former president John Agyekum Kufuor between 2001 to 2006.
Taking his turn on The Delay Show aired on November 5, 2022, monitored by GhanaWeb, the civil engineer expressed optimism that he is the man to lead the NPP regardless.
“Considering how Ghanaians are wailing and complaining about hunger; Ghanaians are dejected under NPP and now you’re here as a member of the NPP asking to be voted for. Do you think Ghanaians will listen to you?” asked Deloris Frimpong Manso (Delay)who sought to probe the feasibility of Mr. Agyepong’s aspiration.
“They will listen to me,” said the politician. “First and foremost, we need to know that we need someone who would speak the truth always to Ghanaians. We cannot spend what we do not have. Our budget is always in deficit; we need to cut our coats according to the size of cloth we have. We need to be truthful to Ghanaians. For instance, if we cannot construct new roads and put together a proper maintenance review. We like constructing new things without providing any form of maintenance for the old ones.”
Sounding audacious, Agyepong who has been instrumental in the success of the NPP emphasized that it is imperative to ensure value for money and selflessness.
“The value system in this country has disappeared, it has collapsed. Those are the changes I believe it is time for a new dawn, a new dimension, and a new direction. It is very important that we drive that kind of change in this country and let people know that being in office doesn’t mean enriching yourself; rather, you’re there to serve,” he remarked while promising a lean government.
“Appointees go for vetting and you see chiefs in their full regalia escorting him to vetting. They create the impression that there’s something juicy to lick. We have become enablers. That has to stop.
“I will have no time for that kind of thing because I have no time for materialism. I will be very different, very tough. The constitution says we should have 19 ministers. I will not exceed that.”
In the last couple of months, a section of Ghanaians have been calling for the resignation of President Nana Akufo-Addo following record inflation and the government’s handling of the economic crisis.
The president has admitted that times are hard economically and that his government is working assiduously to provide relief to the citizenry.
These views were contained in his October 30, 2022 address to the nation on the state of the economy.
Kwabena Agyepong who served as Press Secretary to former president John Agyekum Kufuor between 2001 and 2006 has said he declined a ministerial appointment offered to him by his boss after serving for almost six years.
The decision to not accept the appointment, according to Kwabena Agyepong was informed by the quest to exit from the administration and focus on some other equally important activities.
“It was fine,” he said in response to whether or not it was a peaceful exit. “I just felt I had to leave politics, so, although the president called me and offered me a deputy ministerial position, I respectfully declined.”
Sharing his work experience with the former president, Mr. Agyepong told Deloris Frimpong Manso on The Delay Show that his boss was indeed a diplomat.
“Mr. Kufuor is a very quintessential diplomat and democrat. He worked with the IGP the previous government appointed for over six months when he assumed office. Persons who occupied some of the key positions experienced same. He did so just to get a smooth transition,” the former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) remarked.
Meanwhile, Agyepong has said he never acquired any property during his tenure as Press Secretary to Mr. Kufuor.
Establishing that the desire to do politics was borne out of passion, selflessness, and service to the country, Agyepong expressed optimism in becoming president of Ghana as he readies to contest in the NPP presidential primaries.
“Our budget is always in deficit; we need to cut our coat according to the size of cloth we have. We need to be truthful to Ghanaians for instance if we cannot construct new roads and put together a proper plan review. We like constructing new things without providing any form of maintenance for the old ones.
“The value system in this country has disappeared, it has collapsed. Those are the changes I believe it is time for a new dawn, a new dimension, and a new direction,” Mr. Agyepong said while underscoring the need to serve instead of amassing wealth to the detriment of the Ghanaian people.
Although he has not clearly stated it, President Akufo-Addo has, however, given a roadmap on the possibility of taking action on a demand made on him by some Members of Parliament.
The call by the 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, was for the president to sack the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
As surprising as the news has been, particularly since the minister is a member of their party and this is the first time any such thing has happened in the country, it has already brought up suggestions on who could take over as the country’s finance minister.
In an earlier GhanaWeb story, three names have come up for the job: Dr Mark Assibey Yeboah, Professor Gyan Baffour, and Kwame Pianim.
GhanaWeb further places the spotlight on these individuals to understand what they bring to the job, in the instance that they get it.
Below is a profile of Professor Gyan Baffour:
Prof George Yaw Gyan Baffour is currently the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission and Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Finance.
He is a former Member of Parliament who represented the Wenchi Constituency from 2005 to 2021. He was a professor at Howard University in Washington DC from 1993 to 2021.
He is an economist, a banker and an insurer.
Being an economist, Professor George Gyan Baffour has mainly sat on parliamentary committees that relate to his field, which include the Special Budget Committee, the Education Committee, and the Poverty Reduction Committee, and he was once the Acting Chair of the Special Budget Committee.
The ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor appointed Prof George Gyan Baffour as the Director General of the National Development Planning Commission in 2002. It was during his time that he established the first system for overseeing and assessing the rate of national development.
He oversaw the development of the coordinated program for the Economic and Social Development of Ghana.
Prof George Gyan Baffour is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Economists of Ghana. He was a member of various boards, including the Bank of Ghana (2005-2008), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) from 2003 to 2005.
He has a PhD in Industrial Relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a post-Doctorate Diploma from Harvard University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Bsc (Hons) in Economics from the University.
Prof George Gyan Baffour is currently a Senior Policy Advisor to the Finance Minister, focusing mainly on Sustainable Development Goals and climate change mitigation financing.
He is the UN Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data Ambassador in the UN’s SUN movement focal person for Ghana and Executive Committee Excom Member representing Central and Eastern Africa.
He was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of Ghana in March 2005. As a Minister For Planning, he was the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on SDGs.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias NAPO, has restated why the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will forever remain the preferred party in the Ashanti Region.
He holds that it is often during the NPP’s era that the region known to be its electoral world bank gets needed development.
NAPO, while speaking at the flagging-off ceremony for work to begin on the Suame Interchange stressed that Asanteman had to be forever grateful to the party for its contributions to development.
“When Nana Addo speaks, people take him on, I want to tell all of you gathered here that if you need a government that will come and help Asanteman, it is the NPP.
“If God had allowed Nana Addo to succeed President Kufuor, Kumasi would have been known as the golden city. When that did not happen, we became known as borla city, there was refuse all over the place since Nana Addo came, have you seen the refuse?
“We shouldn’t show ingratitude, Asantes are grateful, let us not be ungrateful. Asante has good memories…,” he stated before adding: “it is based on this that we will continue to vote for the NPP till God descends from the heavens.
“I can say that anyone here who votes for the NDC does not mean well for Asanteman,” he added in a video clip sighted by GhanaWeb.
President John Agyekum Kufuor completed his second term in office in 2008 having taken office in 2000 from the late Jerry John Rawlings.
The election to replace Kufuor was between Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the late John Evans Atta-Mills. The latter contesting for the third consecutive time beat Akufo-Addo in a runoff vote.
Imagine what’d happen if this came from any NDC member of parliament from the Volta Region. Just imagine???? pic.twitter.com/kcaZDECInV
— General Marcus! (@marcusadampah) October 20, 2022
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been assured that the US$330 million Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project, popularly referred to as the Boankra Inland Port Project, which has been on the drawing board for some eighteen (18) years, will be completed by the first quarter of 2024.
The concessionaire, Ashanti Ports Services Limited, a joint venture of Afum Quality Limited of Ghana and DSS Associates of the Republic of Korea, made this known on Sunday, 16th October 2022, when President Akufo-Addo visited the site of the construction.
Covering a total land area of 413 acres, the President was informed by the Concessionaire that “we are working to deliver this job within the schedule date. By the end of 2023 eighty percent (80%) will be done, and, by the end of the first quarter 2024, we will finish the project.”
The Concessionaire was hopeful that the eastern and western railway lines will be completed on schedule, which will further improve the viability of the Boankra inland port.
The idea of the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project has been in the pipeline since the days of the Government of the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor. In attempting to bring it into fruition, it encountered a number of challenges, a significant one being the exit of the NPP government in 2009.
2020 Sod-cutting
Cutting the sod for the construction of the Port on Thursday, 5th November 2020, the President explained that the Boankra Inland Port project has been initiated to provide service to importers and exporters in the middle and northern parts of the country, and also to act as a major conduit for the efficient transportation of transit traffic to and from our neighbouring landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
After completion of the Terminal, it will be fitted with an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and unbonded estates, commercial areas such as banks, offices and trading facilities, vehicle parking areas, light industrial areas, and an administration complex.
The Project will also offer significant employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour during the two phases of construction and operation. Beyond the creation of jobs, there are other ancillary small and medium scale businesses that will be located within the enclave to support the operations of the Terminal.
“It is noteworthy that the transformation of the Ghanaian economy, from a raw material producing and exporting one, to an industrialised one, will be given a huge impetus with the coming on stream of this facility.
Government’s commitment to establishing firmly the economy of Ghana on a solid path of industrialisation, with the view to delivering a vision of self-reliance, development and prosperity for all, is unwavering,” he added.
The Concessionaire, Ashanti Ports Services Limited, a joint venture of Afum Quality Limited of Ghana and DSS Associates of the Republic of Korea, according to President Akufo-Addo, is committed to investing a total of $330 million for the realisation of this project.
Additionally, the Concessionaire is expected to design, engineer, finance, procure, construct, operate, and maintain the project, and transfer title to the Government after a thirty (30) year period.
“It is my hope and expectation that the Concessionaire will not renege on the confidence reposed in it, and will take all the necessary actions to deliver the project on schedule and on budget,” he added.
One of the success stories of the Africa economic integration agenda is the coming into force of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The objective of the AfCFTA is to promote trade among African countries, with the President stressing that “this will be buoyed by the presence of an effective and efficient transport system, especially as Ghana is playing host to the Secretariat”.
President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that “this project and other similar infrastructure projects, such as the development of the Keta Port, the Tema-Akosombo Railway Line, and the ongoing port expansion projects at Tema and Takoradi Ports, would make a positive contribution in ensuring that Ghana derives maximum benefits from the AfCFTA.”
The US$330 million Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project, also known as the Boankra Inland Port Project, which has been in the works for around 18 years, has been promised to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that it will be finished by the first quarter of 2024.
On Sunday, October 16, 2022, when President Akufo-Addo paid a visit to the construction site, the concessionaire, Ashanti Ports Services Limited, a partnership between Afum Quality Limited of Ghana and DSS Associates of the Republic of Korea, made this information public.
Covering a total land area of 413 acres, the President was informed by the Concessionaire that “we are working to deliver this job within the schedule date. By the end of 2023 eighty percent (80%) will be done, and, by the end of the first quarter 2024, we will finish the project.”
The Concessionaire was hopeful that the eastern and western railway lines will be completed on schedule, which will further improve the viability of the Boankra inland port.
The idea of the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project has been in the pipeline since the days of the Government of the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor. In attempting to bring it into fruition, it encountered a number of challenges, a significant one being the exit of the NPP government in 2009.
2020 Sod-cutting
Cutting the sod for the construction of the Port on Thursday, 5th November 2020, the President explained that the Boankra Inland Port project has been initiated to provide service to importers and exporters in the middle and northern parts of the country, and also to act as a major conduit for the efficient transportation of transit traffic to and from our neighbouring landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
After completion of the Terminal, it will be fitted with an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and unbonded estates, commercial areas such as banks, offices and trading facilities, vehicle parking areas, light industrial areas, and an administration complex.
The Project will also offer significant employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour during the two phases of construction and operation. Beyond the creation of jobs, there are other ancillary small and medium-scale businesses that will be located within the enclave to support the operations of the Terminal.
“It is noteworthy that the transformation of the Ghanaian economy, from a raw material producing and exporting one, to an industrialised one, will be given a huge impetus with the coming on stream of this facility. Government’s commitment to establishing firmly the economy of Ghana on a solid path of industrialisation, with the view to delivering a vision of self-reliance, development and prosperity for all, is unwavering,” he added.
The Concessionaire, Ashanti Ports Services Limited, a joint venture of Afum Quality Limited of Ghana and DSS Associates of the Republic of Korea, according to President Akufo-Addo, is committed to investing a total of $330 million for the realisation of this project. Additionally, the Concessionaire is expected to design, engineer, finance, procure, construct, operate, and maintain the project, and transfer title to the Government after a thirty (30) year period.
“It is my hope and expectation that the Concessionaire will not renege on the confidence reposed in it, and will take all the necessary actions to deliver the project on schedule and on budget,” he added.
One of the success stories of the Africa economic integration agenda is the coming into force of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The objective of the AfCFTA is to promote trade among African countries, with the President stressing that “this will be buoyed by the presence of an effective and efficient transport system, especially as Ghana is playing host to the Secretariat”.
President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that “this project and other similar infrastructure projects, such as the development of the Keta Port, the Tema-Akosombo Railway Line, and the ongoing port expansion projects at Tema and Takoradi Ports, would make a positive contribution in ensuring that Ghana derives maximum benefits from the AfCFTA.”
Being one of the most celebrated Ghanaian presidents in Ghana’s current republic, John Agyekum Kufuor has naturally been a more popular person.
At least in relation to his family and what people know about them publicly, the above narrative makes better sense.
And then there is his brother, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the other popular member, who served as Minister of Defence under his presidency in the early 2000s.
But what more do people know about his extended familyand, even so, his siblings?
GhanaWeb chanced on the following details in a book authored by Kwame Addo-Kufuor, titled “Gold Coast Boy (A Memoir).”
In the book, the brother of the former president details who his siblings are, as well as a little information on what they do.
In all, there were 10 children born to their mother, Nana Ama Ampomah Dapaah. Their father was Nana Kojo Agyekum III, the Oyokohene of Kumasi.
Here is an excerpt from the book that highlights who and who are siblings of the former president, John Agyekum Kufuor:
“Mother had 10 children. The oldest is Nana Akua – wife of King Prempeh II, otherwise known as Otumfuo Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, the Asantehene. He assumed the throne in 1931 and passed away in 1970. Though brilliant academically, Nana Akua left school after standard seven to marry the Asantehene.
“She led a secluded life at the Manhyia Palace and in effect became like an aunt or second mother to her younger siblings. She is therefore called ‘mama’ by the rest of us.
“Francis comes after Nana Akua. He was educated at Achimota School and Bristol University, England. He did so well at Bristol that after his first degree in Chemistry, he was permitted to proceed straight to read a PhD programme without going for the masters. He is now a retired professor of KNUST, and former Chairman of the University Council.
“Rebecca comes third in the family. She was the wife of the late E.O. Dodoo – former Registrar of the University of Ghana. She was educated at Achimota School and the Nursing College at Plymouth in England. She subsequently became a Senior Nursing Officer.
“The fourth child, Kofi Boakye died in his infancy. Marian, the fifth, was educated at St. Monica’s Secondary School and University of London, and later qualified as a barrister; the fifth or sixth woman to do so in Ghana’s history. She retired as Chief State Attorney, and died in 1997. Rather a popular figure in Accra and Kumasi, she was mourned by many people upon her death.
“The sixth sibling is Cecilia – (Mrs. Campbell). Also a trained lawyer, she attended Achimota School and the University of London. Her husband Mr. Val Campbell, a Jamaican, was at one time the Solicitor General of Ghana. She retired as the Chief Legal Officer at the Lands Department of Ghana.
“The seventh is John who was educated at Prempeh College, Oxford University and Lincoln’s Inn, London. He has had an illustrious political career. The President of the Republic of Ghana, from 2001 to 2008, John was once a Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Progress Party Government of Professor Busia from 1969-1972.
“I, Kwame, the writer of this book, is the eighth of mother’s children.
“George, of blessed memory, is the ninth sibling. He passed away in 2011. He was educated at Prempeh College and the University of Belfast and obtained BSc. in Economics and Masters in Business Administration. He worked as Senior Manager of Unilever and KBL and later set up his own Business KEYEDMAP Services; he was also the CEO of Atlantis Royal Company.
“The last of the siblings is Josephine – (Mrs. Josephine Kankam), also of blessed memory. Josephine was educated at St. Louis Secondary School in Kumasi, and Secretarial College in London.
“Her husband was the late surgeon Dr. Kwaku Kankam. Her first son, Kojo Kankam, an architect, is the current Apagyahene, Nana Owusu Afriyie IV.”
A former Minister of Defence under the John Agyekum Kufuor government, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, has intimated that the first cabinet put together by the former president was one of Ghana’s best ever.
According to him, the calibre of the people handpicked by the former president, many of whom cut across many spheres of life, made it a delight for him to work with them.
Contained in his memoir titled, Gold Coast Boy, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the former minister carefully outlined the qualifications of the people who made up that cabinet, stressing that they made meetings a delight to be in.
“I have taken the trouble to highlight the professional and political backgrounds of the members of the first cabinet put together by President Kufuor for two main reasons. First is to exemplify Micheavelli’s wisdom in the quotation at the beginning of the chapter. The ‘men’ the president had ‘around him’ were ‘capable and faithful.’
“The second reason is to stress the point that citizens who wish to serve their nation at the executive level must have acquired the requisite training and experience, in their respective fields, so that they are better able to serve. Ideally, politics should be regarded as an avenue of service to one’s compatriots, and not a platform for employment.
“The quality of the president’s cabinet was such that it was almost always a pleasure to attend meetings and listen to discussions on proposals and position papers. It always appeared that members had researched and prepared for discussions; they showed so much familiarity with the documents and their content. And they spoke and argued cogently, logically and with some authority,” he wrote.
Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor added that due to this, he was of the belief that Ghana had been blessed with some of the finest brains in any political dispensation in the country.
“I always felt that the people of Ghana were lucky to have men and women of such calibre helping the president to manage the affairs of state at the time,” he added.
In the photo snippets of the book below, you can read the full details of all that he said in this regard:
Fourteen awardees described as legends of journalism and promoters of free speech were on Wednesday night honoured in Accra.
Former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, was also honoured for his role in the country’s media space and for repealing the Criminal Libel Law.
The rest of the awardees included Kofi Badu, Elizabeth Ohene, KwakuAddoSakyiAddo, K.G. OseiBonsu, KabralBlayAmihere, Gifty Affenyi Dadzie, and Abdul-Malik KwekuBaako.
Others were Kwasi Pratt Jnr, Anthony AkotoAmpaw, Nana Kofi Coomson, Prof. Kwame Karikari, Godwin Avernogbo, Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, and Prof. Paul VianneyAnsah (PAV).
Organised by the Centre for Communication and Culture, a not-for-profit organisation, the awards was in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Sportswriters Association (SWAG), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Private Newspapers Association and the Institute of Public Relations (IPR).
MrEnimilAshon, Executive Director of Centre for Communication and Culture, said that the awards was under the “Ghanaian Media, The Bold, Beautiful, the Ugly and the Maverick” project which would be rolled in three packages, including interviews on television , a 200-page book on the lives and times of the legends.
Commending the legends, he said he was hopeful that present and future journalists would fight for the same course.
An Economist, Kwame Pianim, commended the legends for chalking such feats, adding that there was the need to also honour the spouses of these legends who stood by them in those trying times.
He extolled the former president for his role in the media space and indicated that maintaining free speech and press freedom required the efforts of all and sundry.
MrPianim noted that we could have the Ghana we wanted if we applied selflessness, discipline and the rule of law.
“We are a young nation with a mission to be a shinning beacon of Africa so it is not the institutions but we Ghanaians. We need to have the courage to speak our minds,” he stated.
“We have an attitude that an elder does not err and that is doing us lots of bad than good and we have to work on that,” he added.
The economist recommended that the organisers go beyond the giving of just plaques to the legends, adding that the GJA could establish a fund with support from the government to help these legends.
The President of the GJA, Mr Albert Dwumfuor, hinted that the Association would soon introduce the GJA retirees support fund to support some of these legends who were faced with financial challenges.
He congratulated the legends for the pace set, adding that he was hopeful that young journalists would carry on with what they have learnt from them to continue to make the country a better place.
In our previous article, we gave you a list of 5 active Ghanaian footballers whose Black Stars careers might be over after being out of the national team for a minimum of three years.
Today, we look at the childhood sports of all the men who have occupied Ghana’s presidency since the beginning of the 4th republic in 1993.
Children and their preference for a particular sport is mostly influenced by their community or the school they find themselves in.
Some children after falling in love with a particular sport tend to pursue it as a career with the needed talents but others abandon it because of their parents.
Here is a list of Ghana’s 4th Republican presidents and their childhood sports:
Jerry John Rawlings – boxing
Born June 22, 1947, the late president of the 4th Republic of Ghana is best remembered for promoting boxing in Ghana and helping nurture several talents across the country.
Rawlings according to his son Kimathi had hoped in Ghanaian boxers because they had a strong disciplined mind to become great.
Ghana’s legendary boxer Azumah Nelson has on countless occasions credited the successes he archived in his career to the late Jerry John Rawlings who was also an amateur boxer.
Though JJ Rawlings couldn’t pursue his boxing career, he made sure that other young talents would get all the needed support from the State to be useful.
During his reign, Ghana won three world titles through Azumah Nelson, Ike Bazooka Quartey, and the late Alfred Kotey.
John Agyekum Kufuor – football
There isn’t much to be said about the footballing career of Ghana’s second president in the 4th Republic aside being in the school team during his days in Prempeh Colleague in Kumasi.
However, John Agyekum Kufuor was an established football administrator before occupying the high office in Ghana.
As a football administrator, former President John Agyekum Kufuor was the Chief Executive Officer of Asante Kotoko where he won a lot of local titles before he became Ghana’s leader in 2001.
His love for football also made him commit more resources to help the Black Stars qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in Ghana’s footballing history in 2006.
Kufuor renovated the Accra Sports Stadium and the Baba Yara Stadium as well as built the Essipong and Tamale stadium in 2008 to host the CAN 2008.
John Evans Atta-Mills – Hockey
The late former President was a professional hockey player but also worked as a football administrator for giants Accra Hearts of Oak.
He played for both the hockey teams of Achimota College during his Secondary School education and the University of Ghana, Legon in his tertiary days.
As a State Man, Atta-Mills changed the face of Ghana hockey by supporting the construction of the first ever water-based Astro-turf hockey pitch in 1999, and an ultra-modern world-class National Hockey Stadium which was built in 2009.
He is also a founding member of the Veterans Hockey team in Accra which was established in 1972.
John Dramani Mahama – football
Just like John Agyekum Kufuor, John Dramani Mahama was also a talented footballer but his father Emmanuel Adama reportedly made him ditch football to focus more on his education.
Though John Mahama couldn’t pursue a career in football, his son Sharaf continues from where his father left off to become a professional footballer.
Sharaf Mahama has played for several clubs in Eurpe inclduing Tempo Overijse, KV Mechelen, Charleroi and Rostocker FC.
As President, John Mahama’s love for football was seen through the government’s sports policies.
He built the Cape Coast Sports Stadium to ease the pressure of the four existing stadiums in Ghana. Mahama also built Ghana’s only boxing arena in Bukoum to promote the sport which sold Ghana to the world after football.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo – boxing
The current president is a football fan but his love for boxing precedes every sport in the world.
Young Akufo-Addo played football in his high school days and was in the University of Ghana, Legon’s hockey team together with the late John Evans Atta-Mills.
Akufo-Addo was an all-around athlete amongst all the presidents we have seen in the 4th Republic.
As the president, Akufo-Addo has invested heavily in sports infrastructure with the building of the multi-purpose sports complex in all the 16 regions in Ghana.
He will also be the 4th president to taste a FIFA World Cup after Kufuor, Mills, and Mahama.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has commended former President John Agyekum Kufuor for instituting the Kufuor Scholars Programme to groom the youth to become good leaders.
He said such mentoring programmes were necessary to produce leaders such as Kufour who would be capable of leading as he did during his tenure as President.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said this when the Chief Executive of the John A. Kufuor Foundation, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, led beneficiaries of the programme to pay a courtesy call on the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace last Sunday.
The visit was part of the mentoring activities of beneficiaries in learning about the traditions and cultures of all the regions of the country.
The scholars were in camp at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where they were taken through leadership and public speaking skills.
Objective
Addressing the Asantehene, Prof. Agyeman-Duah said the objective of the programme was to train and groom the youth to become transformational leaders by imbibing in them the values of integrity, honesty, patriotism and commitment to ethical behaviour.
Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah (2nd from left), CEO of JAK Foundation, speaking at the function
According to him, the programme was open to all Ghanaians irrespective of where they lived, their ethnicity or gender.
However, he said, the selection process was rigorous and was designed to ensure the selection of the best candidates.
Coordinator
The Coordinator of the programme, Dr Pascal Brenyah, told the Daily Graphic that so far, the programme was achieving its objective as most of the beneficiaries had shown the leadership traits expected of them.
He said even those who had the chance to travel outside the country had all returned home to contribute to the development of the country.
He said the objective of the programme was to nurture a crop of graduates who were self-reliant and could contribute effectively to the country.
The beneficiaries are also given entrepreneurial skills.
Experience
Sharing their experiences, some of the students told the Daily Graphic that joining the programme had been an eye-opener for them, as it had given them exposure to the nuances of leadership not learnt in classrooms.
A student of the University of Ghana, Ms Salomey Odei, said through the programme, she had been able to improve on her self-confidence and could speak on any platform, “something I was not able to do in the past,†she added.
