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President John Agyekum Kufuor was born on December
8, 1938 in Kumasi, Ghana. John Kufuor had his Secondary Education at Prempeh
College where he passed at the top of his class. John enrolled at Lincoln
Inn, London, and was called to the Bar in 1961 at the age of 22. John then
entered Oxford University where he passed his Honors BA degree in 1964 in
Economics , Philosophy and Politics. John Agyekum Kufuor was subsequently
confirmed, in accord with Oxford traditions, with the Master's degree by the
University.
Both sides of Kufuor's parentage come from distinguished families whose members
include Chiefs, Farmers, Timber Merchants, Businessmen, University Professors
Doctors, Engineers, Accountants, Teachers, Nurses, Lawyers and Politicians. John
A. Kufuor is happily married to a princess like and angelic lady called Theresa. Theresa is
a very quiet woman and has stayed out of the political scene since her husband
became a president. Joinafrica.com research shows that Theresa Kufuor loves to sing, no wonder she is still a
member of the choir ( Marian choir at Christ the King Church in Accra).
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Theresa Kufuor |
Theresa and Kufuor's marriage is blessed with five
children. President Kufour and his family
belong to the Roman Catholic Church.
John Agyekum Kufuor comes into this arena with credentials and experiences
unmatched in Ghana's history. His public service spans over thirty years.
In 1967, John was appointed Chief Legal Officer and Town Clerk (City Manager) of
Kumasi, the Second largest City of Ghana. John Kufuor 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. John
Agyekum Kufuor has also been in political detention on two occasions as a result
of military coups that overthrew the Second and Third Republics. He has been a
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and in this capacity, he represented Ghana on
several 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, Zambia. 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
Organization of African Unity (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
authored the Local Government Policy Guidelines that were to be the foundation
of the current decentralized District Assemblies. John Agyekum Kufuor,
however, 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. Indeed he found that it had a hidden agenda which he could
not be a Party to. John Kufuor also could not be a party to the
intolerance, the brutality, abuse and corruption of that Government.
On April 20th 1996, Mr. J. A. 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, Mr. Kufuor
polled almost 40% of the popular votes. On October 23, 1998, he was re-nominated
by the New patriotic Party not only to run again for President but to officially
assume the position of Leader of the Party. The election is schedule to held at
the end of 2000.
Undoubtedly, Mr. Kufuor comes into the arena for President with relevant and
unmatched credentials. Among his many attributes are caring, sensitivity,
honesty, and due respect for his fellow being. President Kufour is a good
listener, very diplomatic in his dealings with friends as well as foes, strong
and disciplined, and a great consensus builder. He has patiently studied
and practiced the art of governance and we can affirm that he is well qualified
for the highest office of the land, the Presidency. It may be very important to
quote his assertion that "the world is moving in a direction which requires
leadership by vision, transcending tribal, national and even continental bounds.
In short, the world belongs to the globalist." Ghanaians can no longer afford to
sit on the fringes of human endeavors, existing out of the charity of the world.
It is time for an enlightened, creative and experienced leadership that will
lead our nation out of the doldrums of poverty, ignorance and disease and serve
as an inspiration to the rest of Africa. Without a doubt, he is an intellectual
whose pragmatism and concern for his fellow human being makes him an ideal
person for the high office of President of the Republic of Ghana.
Kufuor won the presidential elections in Dec. 2000 and 2004. He will step
down on January 7th, 2009.
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