John Kufuor
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| John Kufuor | |
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11th President of Ghana
(2nd President of Ghana's Fourth Republic) |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2001 |
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| Vice President(s) | Aliu Mahama |
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| Preceded by | Jerry Rawlings |
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| Born | December 8, 1938 Kumasi, Ashanti Region |
| Political party | New Patriotic Party |
| Spouse | Theresa Mensah |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born in Kumasi December 8, 1938) is the current president of Ghana, since January 7, 2001. He ran for election in 2000 and won, succeeding Jerry Rawlings, who defeated him when he previously ran for President in the election in 1996, and having the first peaceful transition of power in Ghana since the country's independence was declared.
Both of Kufuor's parents come from families whose members included chiefs, professionals and politicians. A member of the Ashanti people, Kufuor is married to Theresa Kufuor (née Mensah), with whom he has had five children. Kufuor and his family belong to the Roman Catholic Church. He was educated at Osei Tutu Boarding School (1951-53), Prempeh College (1954-58), Lincoln's Inn, London (1959-1961) and Exeter College, University of Oxford (1961-1964). In the Second Republic's Parliamentary Register Kufuor lists as his hobbies and interests table tennis, reading, soccer, and film shows. On January 29, 2007, Kufuor was elected as the next Chairman of the African Union for the 2007-2008 AU session
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[edit] Early Political Life
Kufuor became president with a considerable history of public service, spanning over thirty years. In 1967, he was appointed Chief Legal Officer and Town Clerk (City Manager) of Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana. He was a member of the 1968-69 and the 1979 Constituent Assemblies that drafted the Constitutions of the Second and Third Republics respectively. In addition he was a Founding Member of the Progress Party (PP) in 1969, the Popular Front Party (PFP) in 1979 and is a Founding Member of the New Patriotic Party(NPP). He has twice been elected as a Member of Parliament, during the Second and Third Republics. He has also been in political detention on two occasions as a result of military coups that overthrew the Second and Third Republics.
As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs he represented Ghana on a number of occasions. From 1969 to December, 1971, he led Ghana's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Ministerial Meetings in Addis Ababa, and the Summit Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement in Lusaka. In 1970, he led the Ghanaian delegation to Moscow in the former Soviet Union, Prague (Former Czechoslovakia), and Belgrade (Yugoslavia) to discuss Ghana's indebtedness to these countries.
As the Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Deputy Opposition Leader of the Popular Front Party (PFP) Parliamentary Group during the Third Republic, he was invited to accompany President Limann to the OAU Summit Conference in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He was also a member of the parliamentary delegation that visited the United States of America (USA) in 1981 to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank on Ghana's economic problems.
In January, 1982, the leadership of the All People's Party (APP), which was an alliance of all the opposition parties, advised some leading members, including the Deputy Leader of the Alliance, Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, the General Secretary, Dr. Obed Asamoah and Mr. J. A. Kufuor to accept an invitation from the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to serve in what was purported to be a National Government. Mr. Kufuor was appointed the Secretary for Local Government in this new government.
As a Secretary for Local Government, he wrote the Local Government Policy Guidelines that were to be the foundation of the current decentralized District Assemblies. He resigned within seven months of acceptance of the position after having satisfied himself that the PNDC Government was not the national Government that it promised to be. He was particularly uncomfortable with the brutality, intolerance and abuse of human rights that characterized the PNDC government.
[edit] Presidency
On April 20th 1996, Kufuor was nominated by 1034 out of 2000 delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) drawn from all the 200 Constituencies of the Country to run for the President of Ghana on December 10, 1996. After campaigning for less than nine months, Kufuor polled 39.62% of the popular votes to Rawling's 57% in the 1996 election. On October 23, 1998, he was re-nominated by the New Patriotic Party not only to run again for President but also to officially assume the position of Leader of the Party.
Kufuor won the presidential election of December 2000; in the first round, held on December 7, Kufuor came in first place with 48.4%, while John Atta-Mills, Jerry Rawling's Vice President, came in second with 44.8%, forcing the two into a run-off vote. In the second round, held on December 28, Kufour was victorious, taking 56.9% of the vote.
Kufuor was re-elected in presidential and parliamentary elections held on December 7, 2004, earning 52.45% of the popular vote in the first round and thus avoiding a run-off, while at the same time Kufuor's party, the New Patriotic Party, was able to secure more seats in the Parliament of Ghana. [1] 33
[edit] John Kufuor's First Cabinet (Jan 2001)
- John Agyekum Kufuor — President of Ghana
- Hon. Aliu Mahama — Vice President of Ghana
- Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi — Minister of Education Replaced later by;
- Mr. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu— Minister of Education, Youth & Sports
- Mrs. Cecilia Bannerman — Minister for Manpower Development & Employment
- Prof. Albert Kan-Dapaah — Minister for Communication
- Mrs. Gladys Asmah — Ministry for Women & Children's Affairs
- Hon. Yaw Osafo-Marfo — Minister for Finance
- Mr. Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey — Minister of Information
- Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor — Minister of Defense & Later Acting Minister for the Interior
- Madam Hawa Yakubu — Minister for Tourism
- Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu — Ministry for Local Government & Rural Development Replaced later by;
- Mr. Charles Bintim — Ministry for Local Government & Rural Development
- Hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyeman — Minister for Foreign Affairs Replaced later by;
- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo — Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Major (Rtd) Courage Emmanuel Kobla Quashigah — Minister of Food & Agriculture
- Hon. Richard W. Anane — Minister of Health
- Prof. Mike Oquaye — Minister for Environment and Science
- Hon. Kwamina Bartels — Minister for Private Sector Development & PSI
- Hon. Dr. Richard Winfred Anane — Minister for Road Transport
- Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi — Minister for Habours & Railways
- Mr. Alan Kyeremanten — Minister for Trade and Industry
- Hon. Malik Alhassan — Minister for the Interior Replaced later by;
- Hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyeman — Minister for the Interior
- Mr. Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo — Attorney-General & Minister for Justice Replaced later by;
- Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah — Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Alhaji Mallam Issah — Minister of Youth & Sports Replaced later by;
- Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah — Minister of Youth & Sports Replaced later by;
- Hon. Osei Kwaku — Minister of Youth & Sports
- Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah — Minister for Energy replaced later by;
- Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom — Minister for Energy
- Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom — Minister for Economic Planning & NEPAD
- Hon. Felix Owusu Agyapong — Minister for Parliamentary Affairs
- Miss Elizabeth Ohene — Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education
- Miss Christine Churcher — Minister of State in Charge of Primary, Secondary & Girl-Child Education
[edit] John Kufuor's Second Cabinet (Jan 2005)
- John Agyekum Kufuor — President of Ghana
- Hon. Aliu Mahama — Vice President of Ghana
- Hon. Yaw Osafo-Maafo — Minister of Education and Sports
- Hon. Joseph K. Ada — Minister for Manpower, Youth & Development
- Hon. Kan-Dapaah — Minister for Communication & Technology
- Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom — Minister of Energy Replaced later by;
- Hon. Mike Oquaye — Minister of Energy
- Hajia Alima Mahama — Ministry for Women & Children's Affairs
- Hon. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu — Minister for Finance & Economic Planning
- Mr. Dan Botwe — Minister of Information
- Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor — Minister of Defense
- Mr Jake Okanka Obetsebi-Lamptey — Minister for Tourism & Modernization of Capital City
- Mr. Charles Bintim — Ministry for Local Government & Rural Rural Development
- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo — Minister for Foreign Affairs and NEPAD
- Mrs. Gladys Asmah — Minister for Fisheries
- Mr. Ernest Akobuor Debrah — Minister of Agriculture and Food
- Major (Rtd) Courage Emmanuel Kobla Quashigah — Minister of Health
- Ms Christine Churcher — Minister for Environment and Science
- Hon. Kwamina Bartels — Minister for Private Sector Development & PSI
- Hon. Dr. Richard Winfred Anane — Minister for Road Transport
- Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi — Minister for Habours & Railways
- Mr. Alan Kyeremanten — Minister for Trade and Industry
- Mr. Papa Owusu Ankomah — Minister for the Interior
- Mr. Prof. Mike Oquaye — Attorney-General & Minister for Justice
- Hon. Felix Owusu Agyapong — Minister for Parliamentary Affairs
- Miss Elizabeth Ohene — Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education
[edit] John Kufuor's Third Cabinet (2006)
- John Agyekum Kufuor — President of Ghana
- Hon. Aliu Mahama — Vice President of Ghana
- Hon. Papa Owusu Ankama — Minister of Education, Science and Sports
- Hon. Joseph K. Ada — Minister for Manpower, Youth & Employment
- Prof. Mike Oquaye — Minister for Communication
- Hajia Alima Mahama — Ministry for Women & Children's Affairs
- Hon. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu — Minister for Finance & Economic Planning
- Mr. Kwamina Bartels — Minister for Information and National Orientation
- Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor — Minister of Defense
- Mr Jake Okanka Obetsebi-Lamptey — Minister for Tourism & Diaporan Relations
- Mr. Asamoah Boateng — Ministry for Local Government, Rural Development & Enviroment
- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo — Minister for Foreign Affairs and NEPAD
- Mrs. Gladys Asmah — Minister for Fisheries
- Mr. Ernest Akobuor Debrah — Minister of Food & Agriculture
- Major (Rtd) Courage Emmanuel Kobla Quashigah — Minister of Health
- Hon. Dr. Richard Winfred Anane — Minister for Transportation (Later Resigned)
- Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi — Minister for Ports, Habours & Railways
- Mr. Alan Kyeremanten — Minister for Trade and Industry, Private Sector Development & PSI
- Mr. Albert Kan-Dappah — Minister for the Interior
- Mr. Joe Ghartey — Attorney-General & Minister for Justice
- Hon. Felix Owusu Agyapong — Minister for Parliamentary Affairs & Acting Minister for Transportation
- Mr. Francis Poku — Minister for National Security
- Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani — Minister for Presidential Affairs
- Hon. S.K. Boafo — Minister of State in Charge of Culture & Chieftancy Affairs
- Miss Elizabeth Ohene — Minister of State at the Presidency
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Jerry Rawlings |
President of Ghana 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Denis Sassou-Nguesso |
Chairman of the African Union 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Presidents/Military Chairmans of Ghana |  |
|---|---|
| Kwame Nkrumah • Joseph Arthur Ankrah * • Akwasi Afrifa * • Nii Amaa Ollennu † • Edward Akufo-Addo • Ignatius Kutu Acheamphong * • Fred Akuffo * • Jerry Rawlings* • Hilla Limann • Jerry Rawlings • John Kufuor *military †interim |
