'Kufuor, Ghana's most successful leader'

Mr John Kufuor is the "most successful constitutional leader" Ghana has had so far, Danquah Institute founder Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has said.

Ghana, since adopting constitutional rule in 1992, has had Mr Jerry John Rawlings, Mr John Agyekum Kufour, Prof John Mills, and Mr John Mahama as presidents in different periods.

In Mr Otchere-Darko's opinion, Mr Kufuor stands out among the four. In a tweet to wish ex-president Kufour well on his 77th birthday Tuesday, December 8, 2015, the DI founder said Mr Kufuor’s two-term presidency dwarfs that of all his contemporaries.

Mr Kufuor was the second president of the fourth republic of Ghana and served two four-year terms, exiting office in 2009.

He was elected as the chairman of the African Union between January 30, 2007 and January 31, 2008.

Under his leadership, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was implemented to cater for the health needs of citizens, replacing the ‘cash-and-carry’ system.

He also introduced the capitation grant for school children at the basic level, and started the Ghana School Feeding Programme for pupils in public primary schools.

Mr Kufuor has won many accolades, including: The Knight Commander of the Order of Bath of the UK, conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and Order of the House of Orange, conferred by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

On September 20, 2011, Mr Kufuor 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.