John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor
2nd President of Ghana (4th Republic)
In office 7 January 2001 – 7 January 2009
Vice President	Aliu Mahama
Preceded by	Jerry Rawlings
Succeeded by	John Atta Mills
Personal details
Born	(1938-12-08) 8 December 1938 (age 73) Kumasi, Colony of the Gold Coast
Political party	New Patriotic Party
Spouse(s)	Theresa Mensah
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic

John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) was the second president of the 4th Republic of Ghana (2001–2009) and Chairperson of the African Union (2007–2008). His victory over John Atta-Mills after the end of Jerry Rawlings' second term marked the first peaceful democratic transition of power in Ghana since the country's independence in 1957.

Kufuor's career has been spent on the liberal-democratic side of Ghanaian politics, in the parties descended from the United Gold Coast Convention and the United Party. He was a minister in Kofi Abrefa Busia's Progress Party government during Ghana's Second Republic, and a Popular Front Party opposition frontbencher during the Third Republic. In the Fourth Republic he stood as the New Patriotic Party's candidate at the 1996 election, and then led it to victory in 2000 and 2004. Having served two terms, in 2008 he was no longer eligible for the presidency.

Early life[link]

John and Theresa Kufuor (2008)

An Asante, Kufuor married Theresa Kufuor (née Mensah) in 1962, with whom he has had five children. Kufuor and his family belong to the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in Kumasi and 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, football, and film shows.

Early political career[link]

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 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. 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.

Elections[link]

On 20 April 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 10 December 1996. After campaigning for less than nine months, Kufuor polled 39.62% of the popular votes to Rawlings' 57% in the 1996 election. On 23 October 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 7 December, Kufuor came in first place with 48.4%, while John Atta-Mills, Jerry Rawlings' Vice President, came in second with 44.8%, forcing the two into a run-off vote. In the second round, held on 28 December, Kufour was victorious, taking 56.9% of the vote.

Kufuor was re-elected in presidential and parliamentary elections held on 7 December 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]

Presidency[link]

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Kufuor with then-United States President George W. Bush during a visit to the US in 2001

Kufuor with then-President of Brazil Lula da Silva in 2005

At the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm in 2007 (Kufuor in front second from left)

His administration's domestic policy in the first term was marked by fiscal and monetary stringency on the economic front, aimed at stabilizing a national economy that had stagnated and was in decline. His social vision was focused on unleashing the entrepreneurial, creative and innovative potential of Ghanaians as a means of creating wealth and hence dealing with the social challenges facing them. This socio-economic vision was encapsulated in the Five Priority Areas Programme, viz., the pursuit of good governance, modernization of agriculture for rural development, private sector participation, enhanced social services and vigorous infrastructure development. His administration is said to have received the most financial assistance of any in the history of Ghana, due essentially to donors' distrust for the military governments before it, as well as those with some military connections.

President Kufuor's foreign policy was underpinned by what he termed "economic diplomacy." It is within this context that in Africa in general and in West Africa in particular, a good neighbor policy has been pursued, which has seen Ghana under President Kufuor brokering peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'lvoire and Guinea-Bissau among other African states. On the global stage, President Kufuor has actively sought the establishment of a just and equitable international social and economic order, while promoting and safeguarding the interests of Ghana through bilateral and multilateral agreements. His stature as statesman, democrat and credible spokesman for Africa has found expression in his invitation to major international meetings and conferences including the founding summit of the AU, G8 Summits in Sea Island, Georgia and Glenneagles, Scotland and the World Economic Forum, among others.

He served as Chairman of the regional grouping ECOWAS for two consecutive terms – 2003 and 2004. In 2007,

Due to the policy successes his administration chalked up, President Kufuor had his mandate renewed in 2004 and was sworn into office on 7 January 2005. Policy direction in President Kufuor's second term has built on the foundations laid in the first four years. The administration is pursuing Ghana's socio-economic transformation in the second term using the three-pronged approach of private sector development, human resource development and good governance. At the international level, President Kufuor is consolidating Ghana's position as the voice of Africa, credible peace broker, beacon of democracy (Ghana is the first country to undergo Peer Review under NEPAD's Africa Peer Review Mechanism) and responsible member of the comity of nations.

On 29 January 2007, Kufuor was elected as the Chairperson of the African Union for the 2007–2008 AU session. He was succeeded by Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania on 31 January 2008.^[2] Kufuor was involved in a car crash during his presidency on 14 November 2007, in which another car collided with his and caused it to roll over several times. Kufuor was reported to be uninjured.^[3]

Finally, President Kufuor's good governance policy has led to Ghana obtaining a record $500 million grant from the U.S Millennium Challenge Account for economic development. Social vision was anchored on unleashing the entrepreneurial, creative and innovative potential of Ghanaians as a means of creating wealth and hence dealing with the social challenges facing Ghanaians. This socio-economic vision was encapsulated in the Five Priority Areas Programme vis the pursuit of good governance, modernization of agriculture for rural development, private sector participation, enhanced social services and vigorous infrastructural development.

Kufuor has been honored with numerous awards, including the Face-of-Good-Governance Award, Chatham House Prize, the Climate Change Award, and the World Food Program’s Global Ambassador Against Hunger.

Post-presidency[link]

In July 2009, Kufuor became a member of the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation International Advisory Board to contribute his expertise to the organisation's poverty reduction work.^[4] In September 2009, Kufuor spoke in the Netherlands at Dutch government event to mark '60 years of development aid' at the invitation of Dutch Minister Bert Koenders, which was attended by nearly 2,000 people. During his visit to the Netherlands, he was interviewed by the newspaper NRC Handelsblad and the Internationale Samenwerking magazine. He argued for the importance of effective development assistance, pointing out that development aid helped Ghana enter the international capital market.^[5]

On September 21, 2009, he delivered the prestigious Legatum Pericles Lecture at the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.^[6] John Kufuor is the Governing Council Chairman of Interpeace, an international peacebuilding organization based in Geneva since October 2009. He also became a member of the prestigious Club of Madrid, the largest grouping of former democratically elected heads of state.

John Agyekum Kufour has been chosen together with Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva to jointly receive the 2011 World Food Prize for their personal commitment and visionary leadership while serving as the presidents of Ghana and of Brazil, respectively, in creating and implementing government policies to alleviate hunger and poverty in their countries. The foundation in a statement said the significant achievements of these two Laureates illustrate that transformational leadership truly can effect positive change and greatly improve people’s lives.^[7]

On September 20, 2011, he inaugurated the John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation with a ground breaking ceremony for the JAK Centre for Leadership, Governance and Development at the University of Ghana, Legon. The inaugural lecture which attracted very high local and foreign dignitaries had H.E. Horst Koehler, ex-president of the Republic of Germany, as its guest speaker. Thabo Mbeki, ex-president of South Africa and ex-president Jerry John Rawlings, Mr. Kufour's fiercest critic, were among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony. The ex-presidents also unveiled a plaque on September 22, 2011 for the Kufuor Presidential Library and Museum at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, which formed part of the John A. Kufuor Foundation.^[8]

On October 14, 2011, President Kufuor received the 2011 World Food Prize, along with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for his personal commitment and visionary leadership while serving as the president of Ghana, and in creating and implementing government policies to alleviate hunger and poverty in his country.^[9]

Since November 2011 John Agyekum Kufour is the first high-level Chair of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership.^[10]

Cabinets[link]

First Cabinet (January 2001)[link]

• 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
• Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah — Minister for Communication
• Mrs. Gladys Asmah — Ministry for Women & Children's Affairs
• Hon. Yaw Osafo-Marfo — Minister for Finance
• Mr. Jacob Otanka 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 Justice
• 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 Al-Hassan Yakubu — 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

Second Cabinet (January 2005)[link]

• John Agyekum Kufuor — President of Ghana
• Hon. Aliu Mahama — Vice President of Ghana
• Hon. Yaw Osafo-Maafo — Minister of Education and Sports
• Hon. Joseph Kofi Adda — 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 Jacob Otanka 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
• Mr. Gladys Asmah - Minister for Fisheries

Third Cabinet (2006)[link]

• 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 Kofi Adda — 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 Jacob Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey — Minister for Tourism & Diaporan Relations
• Mr. Asamoah Boateng — Ministry for Local Government, Rural Development & Environment
• Dr. Esther Obeng Dappah — Minister of Mining and Minerals
• 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-Dapaah — 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

Bibliography[link]

• Ivor Agyeman-Duah: Between Faith and History: A Biography of J.A. Kufuor. Oxfordshire : Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-0-9547023-9-7. (Edition 2003 [Trenton, NJ : Africa World]: ISBN 1-59221-128-3

See also[link]

• List of national leaders
• List of Ghana heads of state by age
• Kufuor government
• Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-IV), 2008.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Kufuor

• The John A. Kufuor Foundation
• Ghana-pedia webpage – John K.A. Kufuor
• President of Ghana Speaks at Ahmadiyya Muslim Caliphate Centenary Convention
• Official website of the Government of Ghana
• Official website of the Office of the President of Ghana
• Interview with John Kufuor about Nigerian elections – broadcast on Radio France Internationale

v t e      Heads of state and Prime Ministers of the Republic of Ghana      Presidents (1960-Present) Nkrumah • Ankrah † • Afrifa † • Ollennu* • Akufo-Addo • Acheampong † • Akuffo † • Rawlings † • Limann • Rawlings • Kufuor • Mills Prime Ministers (1957-1960; 1969-1972) Kwame Nkrumah (1957-60) • Kofi Abrefa Busia (1969-72) † military     * interim

John Dramani Mahama
Mahama in 2010
4th Vice President of Ghana (4th Republic)
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 January 2009
President	John Atta Mills
Preceded by	Aliu Mahama
Constituency	Bole - Bamboi
Member of Parliament for Bole
In office 7 January 1997 – 7 January 2009
Preceded by	Mahama Jeduah
Succeeded by	Joseph Akati Saaka
Minister for Communications
In office November 1998 – 7 January 2001
President	Jerry Rawlings
Vice President	John Atta Mills
Preceded by	Ekwow Spio-Garbrah
Succeeded by	Felix Owusu-Adjapong
Constituency	Bole - Bamboi
Personal details
Born	(1958-11-29) 29 November 1958 (age 53) Damongo, Ghana
Nationality	Ghanaian
Political party	National Democratic Congress
Alma mater	University of Ghana
Profession	Communication consultant
Website	http://www.vpghana.gov.gh

John Dramani Mahama /məˈhɑːmə/ (born 29 November 1958) is a communication expert, historian, writer, former Member of Parliament and Minister of State, and Vice President of the Republic of Ghana.

Early years and education[link]

Mr. Mahama was born in Damango, which is in the Northern Region of Ghana. His father Mr. Emmanuel Adama Mahama was the first Member of Parliament for the Gonja West Constituency and the first Regional Commissioner of the Northern Region during Ghana's First Republic.

Upon the successful completion of that programme, Mr. Mahama then went on to pursue an additional postgraduate diploma, this one in social psychology at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow.

Early career[link]

After completing his education Mr. Mahama returned to Ghana and, from 1991 to 1996, he worked as the Information, Culture and Research Officer at the Embassy of Japan in Accra.

From there he moved to the nongovernmental agency (NGO) PLAN International's Ghana Country Office, where he worked as International Relations, Sponsorship Communications and Grants Manager.

Political appointments[link]

As Member of Parliament[link]

An eloquent champion of the underprivileged, Mr. Mahama was first elected to the Parliament of Ghana in 1996 to represent the Bole/Bamboi Constituency for a four-year term. In April 1997, Mr. Mahama was appointed Deputy Minister of Communications. He rose to become the substantive Minister of Communications by November 1998; it was a position he held until January 2001 when the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which was the current ruling party, handed over power to the newly elected New Patriotic Party's government.

In 2000, Mr. Mahama was re-elected for another four-year term as the Member of Parliament for the Bole/Bamboi Constituency. He was again re-elected in 2004 for a third term. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Mahama served as the Minority Parliamentary Spokesman for Communications. In 2002, he was appointed the Director of Communications for the NDC. That same year, he served as a member of the team of international observers selected to monitor Zimbabwe's Parliamentary Elections.

As Minister[link]

During his tenure as Minister of Communications, Mr. Mahama also served as the Chairman of the National Communications Authority, in which capacity he played a key role in stabilising Ghana's telecommunications sector after it was deregulated in 1997. Mr. Mahama also served as a member of the National Economic Management Team, a founding member of the Ghana AIDS Commission, a member of the implementation committee of the 2000 National Population Census, and a deputy chairman of the Publicity Committee for the re-introduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Continuing to expand his interest and involvement in international affairs, in 2003 Mr. Mahama became a member of the Pan-African Parliament, serving as the Chairperson of the West African Caucus. In 2005 he was, additionally, appointed the Minority Spokesman for Foreign Affairs. He served in these capacities until 2008, when he was handpicked to become the vice presidential candidate.

Family[link]

Mr. Mahama has seven children. He is married to Mrs. Lordina Mahama. Despite his often busy schedule, Mr. Mahama makes it a point to devote time to his family, his faith and his hobbies. He is a Christian who believes in the importance of respect for, and tolerance of, other faiths and forms of worship in a nation as diverse and peaceful as Ghana. He has a keen interest in environmental affairs, particularly the problem of plastic pollution in Africa, which he has committed himself to addressing during his tenure as Vice President.

Books[link]

Mr. Mahama loves to read; he is also an avid writer and has had numerous articles published nationally and internationally. He is in the midst of writing his first book, My First Coup d'État and Other True Stories From the Lost Decades of Africa, which will be published by Bloomsbury in 2012.

Career highlights[link]

1988: Institute of Social Sciences, Moscow (Postgraduate Studies in Social Psychology)

1991: Worked as: Information officer, Japan Embassy in Republic of Ghana

1995: Sponsorship and Grants Manager, Plan International, Ghana Country Office

1996: Elected, 1st term Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi Constituency

1997: Deputy Minister of Communications

1998: Minister of Communications

1998: Acted as Chairman of the National Communications Authority, Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications and ICT sector

2000: Elected, 2nd term Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi Constituency

2004: Elected, 3rd term Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi Constituency

2001: Minority Spokesman for Communications

2005: Minority Spokesman for Foreign Affairs

1997: Member, Appointments Committee of Parliament

1997: Member, Communications Committee of Parliament

1997: Member, Standing Orders Committee of Parliament

2002: Director of Communications NDC

2002: Member, Election observer and monitoring team, Zimbabwe Presidential elections

2004: Member of the Pan-African Parliament

Chairman of West African Caucus, Pan-African Parliament

Member, Transport, Industry, Energy, Communications, Science and Technology Committee, Pan-African Parliament.

Member, European and Pan-African Parliament Ad-hoc Committee on Co-operation.-->

Articles Written By H.E. Mahama[link]

What Would Fela Think? | The Root | June 2011

Bridge Between Ghana and Black America | The Root | March 2011

Wired For Freedom in Africa | The Root | February 2011

The Politics of Peace | The Huffington Post | January 2011

There's Still Hope for Democracy in Africa | The Root| - December 2010

Seeing Africa With Different Eyes - June 2010

References[link]

External links and sources[link]

• PeaceFMOnline

v t e      Order of precedence in Ghana John Atta Mills (President) • John Dramani Mahama (Vice President) • Joyce Bamford-Addo (Speaker of Parliament) • Georgina Theodora Wood (Chief Justice)