Here's what Rawlings said to Kwesi Pratt during their first encounter

Renowned Ghanaian broadcaster and Pan-Africanist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has recounted how he ended up meeting the late former President, Jerry John Rawlings, despite their strained history.

In an interview with Kafui Dey, monitored by GhanaWeb on March 24, 2026, Pratt revealed that the late president persistently sought a meeting with him through his friend, Ralph Kessley-Hayford.

Recounting the encounter, the veteran broadcaster, who noted that he has been jailed 18 times, said he spent about four and a half hours in a closed-door discussion with the former president.

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“That was in 2001, after the handover. He insisted on seeing me. I refused the first time. He had approached a friend of mine, Ralph Kessley-Hayford, and asked him to convince me to meet him.

“Eventually, I agreed, and we met. The three of us spoke for about four and a half hours. It was during that meeting that he told me he was not responsible for my arrest and detention,” he said.

Detailing what transpired during the lengthy meeting, Kwesi Pratt Jnr said the late president attempted to explain the circumstances surrounding his arrest and detention.

According to Pratt, Rawlings claimed that some of his close associates had influenced the decision to have him arrested.

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“He told me that some of my own friends were the ones pushing for my arrest and detention, and that, as a leader, he could not ignore them. However, when I tried to verify this, I found that the truth was quite different.

“But we spoke for four and a half hours, and it generated a lot of public reaction. President Kufuor and others could not understand why, after all the struggle, I ended up meeting Jerry Rawlings,” he added.

Watch the video below:

When Rawlings finally met Kwesi Pratt Jnr.

What was discussed when Kwesi Pratt Jnr. finally met President Rawlings after all the times he spent in jail during the revolution era?

Full interview here https://t.co/MaFtcI0Vza#KafuiDeyInterviews pic.twitter.com/hRGXkGCuUQ

— Kafui Dey (@KafuiDey) March 24, 2026

JHM/BAI

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