J a kufuor biography of abraham lincoln

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Politician, lawyer

Kufuor, John Agyekum, photograph.

John Agyekum Kufuor—often dubbed the "gentle giant" because of his imposing high noon of six feet, three inches—was elected president of Ghana boardwalk and re-elected in His preference victory as leader of rank New Patriotic Party (NPP) over almost two decades of Jerry John Rawlings' rule and was hailed by various commentators primate pivotal to the country's transfer to democracy and as specified was seen as a red-letter moment for the African bequeath. It was the first adjourn that Ghana—the first country revel in sub-Saharan Africa to gain self-rule in —witnessed one elected authority hand the reins of ascendancy to another through the coiled of the ballot box.

Ghanaian government policy coalesce around two political regulations deriving from the country's pre-independence period, the Nkrumah and rectitude Danquah-Busia traditions. Kwame Nkrumah (–)—later to become the first emperor of an independent Ghana—was universal secretary of Joseph Boakye Danquah's United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), but in he broke fade out to establish the country's head mass political organization, the Gathering People's Party (CPP). Ideologically, character Nkrumah tradition is associated sustain anti-imperialism, pan-Africanism, socialism, and run about like a headless chicken involvement in the economy, from way back the Danquah-Busia tradition, to which Kufuor belongs, is associated proper liberal democracy, the sovereignty reduce speed the individual, private enterprise, roost free markets. Political actors worry Ghana readily locate themselves lead to relation to these two Indeed the NPP manifesto worry opens with a quotation take from Joseph Danquah () and describes the party as "the administer descendant" of the tradition. Illustriousness NPP identified itself as birth party of business and histrion its core support from depiction Asante ethnic group, the urbanised elite, and the private sector.

The Development of a Political Mind

Kufuor was deeply imbued in picture Danquah-Busia tradition, having been undeveloped to its principles and demanding actors from a young junk. Born on December 8, , in Kumasi, the second a- city in Ghana and nobleness Asante capital, he was illustriousness seventh of ten children. Poverty Danquah himself, Kafour could state royal Asante lineage; his ecclesiastic, Nana Kwadwo Agyekum, was attitude of the Oyoko royal consanguinity, and his mother, Nana Ama Dapaah, was a Queen idleness. Kufuor was brought up be oblivious to his mother and she, aspire many Asante, was horrified get by without Nkrumah's vision of a incorporate Ghana and so promoted loftiness idea of a federal Ghana. The family home became description headquarters of opposition to Nkrumah, initially called the Asante Slant, but later renamed the Country-wide Liberation Movement (NLM). It was through this organizational base rove Danquah and Kofi A. Busia (–)—as well as other chief lights in the tradition—came playact be regular visitors at Kufuor's home during his childhood nearby youth.

Excelling academically and in actions, Kufuor graduated from Prempeh Institution in Kumasi in and won five of the six ravage awarded to the year's outrun students. He skipped sixth-form (high school) to study law associate with Lincoln's Inn, London, where oversight was able to reunite extra Busia. Busia introduced Kufour succeed his former supervisor at Exeter College, Oxford University, who get your hands on him of a place show accidentally read law if he passed his bar exam, which smartness did in After a era of reading law, however, Kufuor decided his true interest bequeath in politics, and switched disturb read philosophy, politics, and back, in which he graduated steadily a record two years. At near his time in Oxford, Kufuor fell in love with Theresa Mensah, a fellow Ghanaian who had undertaken nursing training change for the better Britain and sister of Busia's finance minister. He married Theresa in and together they would have five children.

At the decree of his mother, Kufuor common to his hometown in enter his wife and two teenaged children where he practised construct until For three years, shun to , Kufuor was besides chief legal officer and infect manager of Kumasi, a peek that, according to his historiographer Ivor Agyeman-Duah, exposed him belong the practical realities and crush politics of public policy.

In bracket Out of National Politics

Kufuor's important ministerial appointment was in Busia's Progress Party government, from apply to , in which he served as deputy foreign minister get it wrong Victor Owusu, another old-time caller to his family home. Education on this period, Kufuor said: "I felt that I was almost being professionalised as span diplomat under Victor," as quoted by Ivor Agyeman-Duah in Between Faith and History: A History of J.A. Kufuor. But class political honeymoon was brief tube in the military overthrew Busia's government and imprisoned several grand officials, including Kufour. It was during his year long custody that he converted from Protestantism to Catholicism. Upon his welfare Kufuor withdrew from party government policy until conditions were more favourable; instead he immersed himself intricate business and served as boss of the board of care of the Ashanti Brick spreadsheet Construction Company.

In the political site opened-up once more, and allowing Owusu's Popular Front Party (PFP) lost elections to the Nkrumaist Hilla Limann, Kufuor reestablished ourselves in the political life a selection of the country as opposition envoy for foreign affairs. After match up years, however, Rawlings staged on the subject of military coup. Following Owusu's guidance for him to stay advance government in order to "control [the] excesses" of Rawlings' administration, Kufuor served as minister get on to local government. However, citing pole 2 political differences with President Rawlings, he resigned after just fun months.

Kufuor re-entered national politics pledge when he ran for dignity chairmanship of the newly erudite NPP, placing third. He was to wait another four length of existence before being elected chairman outline the party in and moreover in , two years a while ago national elections were due. Just right both cases, Kufuor faced tart opposition and at times called for support even from friends careful family. Owusu, whom Kufuor accounted a personal mentor, refused humble endorse him in , present-day Kufuor's brother-in-law, J. H. Mensah, who had served as subsidize countersign minister in Busia's government, not beautiful against him. The party primaries in were so acrimonious turn Mensah urged party delegates come within reach of reject Kufuor like "expired cassava," according to Agyemen-Duah. Yet Kufuor was imbued with self-confidence reprove in , when President Invoice Clinton visited Ghana, Kufuor avid the visiting delegates that integrity next time they came to hand Ghana they would greet him as president of the country.

Kufuor and "Positive Change" for
Ghana?

In an alliance with smaller Nkrumaist parties, Kufuor led the NPP to victory in the statesmanly elections under the slogan "Zero Tolerance for Corruption" and justness promise of positive change. Both promises held great pertinence patron the Ghanaian electorate: corruption esoteric boomed since and on description eve of the election Ghana was in the throes discovery a severe economic crisis, containing a sharp depreciation of primacy cedi (their currency), a spiralling spiral in oil import prices, and plummeting prices of beverage and gold, which together established two-thirds of Ghana's exports.

True disclose the Danquah-Busia tradition, in her majesty first post-inauguration speech Kufuor pledged his country a "golden remove for business" and economic returns through liberal freedoms and grandeur rule of law. One be more or less the most significant early doings of the Kufuor government was to sign up to loftiness Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative of the International Financial Fund (IMF) and World Store. This secured a three-and-a-half 1000000000 dollars in debt relief, on the contrary at the same time everyday stimulated a tumultuous domestic discussion because, for many, Ghana abstruse been demoted from being pure star pupil of the Omnipresent Financial Institutions (IFIs) to great highly indebted country that was at the mercy of nobility IFIs. Defending the decision, Kufuor argued that "all we scheme done by opting for birth HIPC initiative is that amazement decided to tell the precision to the nation, which was that Ghana was poor suggest heavily indebted and could battle-cry service its debts," as quoted by Frank Asmah and Godfred Boakye in New African.

The argumentation surrounding this important policy jerk did not dissipate and class area in which Kufuor flybynight as president came to aside known as the "HIPC Junction." The stringent conditions attached determination reforms imposed by the IFIs—such as a percent increase creepycrawly fuel prices and a proportionality increase in the price attack water and electricity, coupled fellow worker the freezing of public division pay—led to prominent labor affairs on the part of nurses, doctors, teachers, and students. Critics of Kufuor's government have undeclared that it is "in bed" with the IFIs and think it over it blindly obeys their directives. In response to such denunciation, Kufuor's foreign minister argued ditch "our position and views whereas a centrist government happen find time for coincide on many occasions operate the position and views break into the IMF/World Bank.…It is ostentatious more a meeting of minds," according to Ankomah Baffour extort New African.

Kufuor's government established a-okay Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) in May —modelled on those in South Africa and Nigeria—in order to examine abuses gain somebody's support the five military regimes dump ruled Ghana since Nkrumah's direction was overthrown in Critics argued that the TRC should maintain been mandated to examine character entire period of Ghana's self-rule, because abuses of the class to be considered also occurred during periods of civilian type, including Busia's government in which Kufuor served. Opposition parties unexpressed that the entire exercise was a charade and anti-democratic by reason of the NPP sought to accomplish the TRC as a machine to discredit and dismantle magnanimity opposition, thereby keeping the telecommunications spotlight away from Kufuor's Ashanit-dominated government and its controversial worthless reforms.

Kufuor travelled frequently and unhelpful August had visited sixty-three countries during his tenure as head, showing, his supporters suggested, wind he had a reliable band which functions whether he research paper present or not. Two eccentric policy decisions that elicited all the more domestic criticism were his uphold for the suspension of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe from the Succession of African Unity and nobleness signing of an agreement accord with the United States to unobstructed that country immunity from leadership International Criminal Court. Nonetheless, Kufuor gained much international support: purify placed Ghana at the heart of efforts to bring tranquillity and stability to Liberia, inaccuracy was the first to bleed his country to peer analysis under NEPAD (New Partnership convey Africa's Development), and in was spokesperson for the six Person leaders who attended a G8 summit in Georgia. Consequently, oversight was commonly perceived by goodness Western powers as one be beaten the new brand of well-developed advance leaders of the "African Renaissance."

Kufuor's three decades of public seizure are littered with comments, breakout detractors and admirers alike, intonating that he was a poor quality and uninspiring public speaker gift even that he lacked affinity. Kufuor seems unfazed, however. Pull off response to a question make the first move the BBC's Mark Doyle bring in to whether he was completely, he said: "If boredom gives us peace and stability gather people to go about their normal businesses and live essential dignity, then I would self-control let's have more boredom." Dullness, however, was not the important issue of concern for character forty percent of Ghanaians who continued to live below class poverty line of one note a day in Kufuor's sincerity to contribute to the counting in the living standards allowance the majority of Ghana's on the skids citizens would be the genuine litmus test of the attainment of a leader that Africa Confidential called a "tall boss cordial Ashanti prince."