Profile of Alan Kyerematen

EARLY LIFE

ALAN John Kwadwo Kyerematen was born on October 3, 1955 to the late Dr A.A.Y. Kyerematen from Patasse, Kumasi and Mrs. Victoria Kyerematen (nee Welsing) from Elmina and Ejisu.

As a result of his mixed ancestry, he speaks Twi fluently. In addition, he is fluent in Ga, Fante and French. He is married to Patricia Christabel Kyerematen (nee Kingsley Nyinah).

COLLEGE YEARS

John Alan Kyerematen attended Adisadel College in Cape Coast for his secondary education.

He entered Adisadel College at the record age of nine years, and thereafter attended Achimota School for his sixth form education. He proceeded to the University of Ghana for a Bachelor's degree in Economics. Mr. Kyerematen also holds a law degree from the same university.

He was called to the bar in Ghana, and is a practicing attorney–at-law in Ghana. In addition, he is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow of the School of Management at the University of Minnesota, U.S.A., having completed one year management studies under the Fulbright Scholarship program at that institution.

CORPORATE EXECUTIVE

MR. ALAN KYEREMATEN has had an extensive and successful professional career in the private and public sector spanning over a period of twenty-four years. He was a senior corporate executive with a subsidiary of Unilever International in Ghana. He also worked for a number of years as a Principal Consultant and Head of Public Systems Management with one of the leading management development institutions in Ghana, the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI).

He was responsible for establishing the Empretec Program in Ghana (an enterprise development program sponsored by the UNDP and Barclays Bank Ghana Ltd.) in 1990. As Chief Executive, he led in the transformation of Empretec from a small UNDP project into an independent Foundation, which is internationally recognized as a best practice model for private sector development.

In 1998, Mr. Kyerematen was appointed by UNDP as Regional Director to establish and manage the Enterprise Africa Regional Program, an Africa-wide regional program for the development and promotion of SMEs, which is UNDP’s flagship program for private sector development in Africa.

Under the umbrella of the Enterprise Africa program, Mr. Kyerematen successfully expanded the Empretec presence in Africa into 11 other countries, besides Ghana and Zimbabwe. The new countries include Botswana, Ethiopia, Namibia, Nigeria, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Cameroun, Senegal, Uganda and Swaziland.

Mr. Kyerematen is a member of the Council of Governors of the British Executive Service Overseas (BESO) in the UK and also a Board member of other organizations in Ghana.

In 1994, Ambassador Kyerematen was listed by TIME Magazine as one of the Hundred (100) Global Leaders for the new millennium, alongside Bill Gates (Microsoft Corporation), John F. Kennedy Jr., and others.

PARTY ACTIVIST

Mr. Alan Kyerematen has been a leading young stalwart and key strategist of the NPP since its inception in 1992. He is a Founding Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and has also served on the highest decision-making bodies of the NPP that shaped the Party’s strategic direction both in opposition and in Government, including:

NPP National Executive Committee, serving as a Member from 1992 to date NPP Economic Management Team NPP Finance Committee He is also a Founding Member of the Young Executive Forum (YEF), a powerful advocacy and lobby group within the Party which played a major role in galvanizing the professional and business community to support the growth and development of the party, as well as mobilize a new generation of party faithful and young leaders. As Chairman of YEF from 1992 to 2001, he symbolized the essence and spirit of the new generation of party leaders.

Hon. Kyerematen has been one of the privileged few to have held membership of the National Executive Committee for over a decade, under successive Chairmanship of Mr. B.J. DaRocha, The Right Hon. Peter Ala Adjetey, H.E. Odoi Sykes and Mr. Harouna Esseku. As a result of his contribution to strategy development within the Party, he was appointed as a Member of the NPP/CPP Great Alliance Negotiating Team.

Mr. Kyerematen made an attempt at the leadership of the New Patriotic Party in 2007, capturing 32.3% of votes cast. He was first runner-up to the three times contender for the leadership Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo Ado who gained 47.96% of votes cast.

DIPLOMAT

Mr. Kyerematen was appointed Ghana’s Ambassador to the U.S when the N.P.P came in to office in 2001. As Head of Ghana’s Diplomatic Mission to the United States of America, he was considered the NPP Government’s top foreign envoy and performed with distinction over the 18-month duty tour, and his significant achievements include:

Establishment of the US-Ghana Economic Council, a high-level advocacy and advisory group established to deepen economic relations and bilateral trade between Ghana and the United States; Coordinating Government’s re-negotiation of the Westel agreement with Western Wireless and Valco Agreement with Kaiser Aluminium Company Coordinating the implementation of the first Investment Forum in the United States to showcase the economic potential of each of the 10 regions of Ghana Establishment of the first web-based Ghana Skills Bank, a database designed to facilitate access to Ghanaian professionals and experts worldwide. Initiated plans for the establishment of a Ghana Cultural Centre in the United of States. Developed an “Operation Save Your Schools Programme” for Ghana residents in the United States to assist their alma mater primary/middle schools

CABINET MINISTER

In 2003, Alan Kyerematen was appointed as the Cabinet Minister with responsibility for Trade, Industry and the President’s Special Initiatives (PSI). In that capacity, he spearheaded the development and implementation of innovative programmes which have become new strategic pillars of growth for the transformation of the Ghanaian economy. Concrete manifestations of these special initiatives are:

An $8.5 million state-of-the-art factory, which produces high grade industrial starch from cassava for export to key markets in Europe, Africa and Asia. The starch initiative created over 10,000 jobs and piloted a new innovative approach in rural industry development based on the concept of Corporate Village Enterprises. In addition, it is considered as a model in linking developing countries into the global supply chain through industrial agro-processing. The first industrial starch company has been certified as a global supplier of high grade starch to Nestle operations worldwide.

The construction of a multi-million dollar enclave within the Tema Free Zone, dedicated to garments manufacturing for the export market by Ghanaian entrepreneurs. The enclave is also being extended and converted to accommodate similar facilities for Furniture Manufacturing and an ICT Park, thus converting part of the Free Zones into a Multi-purpose Industrial Park. The revival of the Oil Palm industry in Ghana, achieving a phenomenal growth in seedlings supply from 250,000 seedlings per annum in 2001 to 4 million as at the end of 2004, from twelve nursery sites. Programme initiated under which over 100,000 hectares of palm plantation is being cultivated.

Mobilizing new investments to expand Salt mining operations in Ghana and provide a stable raw material base for the development of a caustic soda industry to feed other manufacturing industries. Ghana’s non-traditional export sector has grown from $400 million in 2000 to the level of $800 million in 2005.

The roll-out and implementation of the Districts Industrialisation Programme, a comprehensive programme for rural industrialization involving the setting up of at least one medium-sized factory in each administrative district in Ghana. As Minister for Trade, Industry, he has coordinated Government of Ghana’s trade policy agenda in respect of multilateral trade negotiations, including WTO, EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement and ECOWAS. He played lead roles in both the regional preparatory process towards the WTO Cancun and Hong Kong Ministerial Meetings, particularly during the latter, in which he was one of the privileged few amongst Trade Ministers in the World, to have been appointed as a member of the Chairman’s Consultative Group. He was also the only Trade Minister from Africa to have been selected as a panelist on Trade during the 2006 World Economic Forum in Davos.

He has also led the negotiation and development of bilateral trade and economic relations between the Government of Ghana and its major trading partners, including UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, China, Denmark, South Africa, Nigeria, etc.

He has been a leading member of the NPP Government team promoting Ghana abroad and attracting and facilitating foreign direct investment into the country, and has also been responsible for developing a comprehensive internal trade and import management portfolio aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of local products, promoting fair trade and protecting consumer interests as well as promoting Made-in-Ghana products through campaigns such as the highly successful “National Friday Wear” programme.

Under his direction, a comprehensive Ghana Trade Policy has for the first time in the history of Ghana been launched as a major plank in Government’s strategy for accelerating and sustaining economic growth and increasing incomes and employment. The Trade Policy provides clear and transparent guidelines for the comprehensive implementation of Government’s domestic and international trade agenda. In addition, he has led the process of preparing a $200-million implementation blueprint, called the Trade Sector Support Programme (TSSP), which was launched in October 2005.

The major component activities being implemented include the establishment of Export Trade Houses, the establishment of a “Furniture City” - an enclave for manufacturers of wood export products, the establishment of product galleries to promote Made-in-Ghana goods and the establishment of a Technology Innovation Center for Capital Goods Manufacturing. He has also negotiated a $45 million facility with the World Bank to promote SME development in Ghana.

Another major achievement of the Hon. Minister has been to develop the Trade Ministry into a professional service organization with the Ministry being restructured into strategic business units with an efficient programme coordination and management system.