President Kufuor still runs a busy schedule

A feature by Frank Agyekum, Spokesman for former President Kufuor

Accra, July 20, GNA - In office he ran a tight schedule. He came into office when the country was in dire straits. The economy was tottering at 3.6% of GDP a year. Fuel supplies were down to only a few days' supply. External reserves of only $233 million could last for only two weeks of import. The nominal size of the economy stood at $3.9 billion.

Faced with the stark realities of the economy on assumption of office as president in January 2001, he knew he had to act fast if his vision of a prosperous Ghana were to be achieved. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor soon swung into action.

His first port of call was Abuja, Nigeria, where he convinced his colleague and friend, former President Olusegun Obassanjo, to release immediately huge quantities of oil to help stave off the impending crisis in Ghana.

The agreement resulting from this visit was to last through the eight years of former President Kufuor's administration and saved the country the pangs of any fuel shortages and the embarrassing long queues resulting from it, which unfortunately, have started rearing their heads up again, six months into President John Atta Mills' administration. The trip to Nigeria also yielded Ghana 100 brand new Peugeot vehicles to augment the fleet of the Ghana Police Service that had hit a national low of just 100.

Former President Kufuor's visit to Nigeria set the tone of his presidency which saw the president embark on many such foreign trips in search of urgently needed material and monetary aid for the nation's development.

Evidence of this was seen in the numerous facilities extended to the country such as the $547m Millennium Challenge Account from the US, the $80m Japanese grant for the construction of the Mallam/Kasoa road, the $600m Chinese loan for the construction of the Bui Dam, the A345m grant from Britain in aid of free maternal care, the $30m concessionary loan from India to build the Golden Jubilee House, etc.

No wonder at the end of his term in 2008, external reserves had shot up to over $2 billion, equal to 2.4 months of imports, the economy had quadrupled to more than $16 billion, GDP had shot up to 7.3%, petroleum supply was in abundance and there had been no queues for petrol in his entire eight-year rule, just to mention a few of the many successes he achieved.

Although President Kufuor's NPP lost in the 2008 election, the good works and the lasting impression he had imprinted on the international community were to follow him, even, out of office.

As if determined to ensure that his rich experience and know-how is not wasted away in the boredom associated with 'former presidents,' the international community soon started flooding him with requests. First to come was the Alliance for Africa Foundation (AAF), an international development organisation whose core functions are on healthcare, education and defence of civil rights and their bearing on economic development.

The Foundation, with $15million seed money from the Lombardi Regional Government, Milan City Council and Milan EXPO 2015, all in Italy, will have offices in Accra and Milan with President Kufuor as its first President.

The many conferences he has attended include the 2009 African Presidential Roundtable which focused on 'Leadership Challenges of Land Reform in Africa,' in Berlin, Germany, at which he chaired one of the sessions.

The Forum is organized annually by the African Presidential Archives and Research Centre at Boston University, USA and it is an initiative for former democratically elected leaders of Africa to share their ideas and experiences with a global audience.

Just last month he was in Geneva, Switzerland to address the 2009 conference of the Global Humanitarian Forum, founded in 2007 by Dr Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Forum is an international humanitarian organization that fosters dialogue and brokers partnership to strengthen the international community's ability to address more efficiently, current and emerging. The theme of this year's conference is: 'Human Impact of Climate Change.'

Former President Kufuor also participated in the 3C forum in Geneva which is aimed at achieving a 'coherent, coordinated and complementary' approach in security, diplomacy, aid and finance in situations of conflict and fragility.

The Forum draws on concrete experiences of participants which includes decision-makers and experts in Foreign Affairs, Defence, Police, Development, Finance, Trade and Justice to discuss the benefits, challenges and operational requirements towards achieving its objectives.

It is organized by the Swiss government, the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other major development partners.

The former President's schedule since he left office has been so busy that he has at least one engagement abroad every month. Many times on his travels he does more than one event. So numerous are the appointments that there are times he has had to turn down requests from such important organizations as the Carter Centre.

This is the man JA Kufuor who in and out of office looms larger than life. He is in deed a prime example that good deeds are never lost. A legend who will transcend all times. 20 July 09