Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the man of the moment

Ghanadot profile, December 23, 2007

Part two

Again, during the recent composition of the new UN Human Rights Council, Ghana was elected with the highest number of votes (183 out of 191) of any country in any region of the world

,Ghana was also been elected one of the pioneer members of another new UN body, Peace-Building Commission, testifying, as anything can, to the great esteem in which Ghana was held in the Kufuor-Akufo-Addo foreign policy era.

Indeed, Nana Akufo-Addo was the Foreign Minister who was chosen by his colleagues of the AU Executive Council to chair the Ministerial Committee of 15 that fashioned the so-called “Ezulwini Consensus”, Africa’s common position on all aspects of the on-going UN reforms.

Moreover, it was he who negotiated for the AU Summit to be held in Accra in 2007, Ghana’s golden jubilee year, as part of the commemorations of Ghana’s 50 years as the first independent nation of the then colonial sub-Saharan Africa.

The great respect, which is currently accorded Ghana, has also yielded significant economic dividends for the nation, notably the G-8 inspired cancellation of our multi-lateral debts and the impending access to some US$ 500 million under the Bush Administration MCA facility for the modernization of the country’s agriculture.

There are many who say that never since the early, heady days of Nkrumah has the flag of Ghana been so high.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, “historically, currently and in the future, the NPP remains the most credible instrument for Ghana’s development. The party has the opportunity and the destiny to dominate the democratic, social and economic development of this country for a generation and more importantly, use that opportunity to bring the real benefits of good governance to every citizen in this country.

According to him, the party "needs to hold steadfast to her enviable tradition of courage, conviction, endurance, patience and hard work that has kept us together all these years. It is therefore important that the party recognizes the paramount need for unity”.

He stresses, “The strength of the [Danquah-Busia] tradition is not something that just happened. This is a tradition that has known struggle since the UGCC days almost sixty years ago. From the movement and agitation to independence, through opposition to all forms and manner of oppressive rule till today, where the struggle now is mainly to erect fully pillars of accountable governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights, create jobs and grow skills of our people for them to take full economic advantage of the conducive environment we are building”.

Nana Akufo-Addo, the three-term MP, underscores the fact that John Agyekum Kufuor has so far been the most successful leader of the Danquah-Busia tradition.

“Yes, we have had great leaders like J.B. Danquah, K.A. Busia, Victor Owusu, Paa Willie, Adu Boahen and others but it is President Kufuor who has led this party to two consecutive electoral victories and with increased margins. He remains, for us, the embodiment of the NPP’s political maturity”.

He sees a “wonderful and necessary opportunity” for the NPP to remain in power “for another thirty years” and he says it with ironic reference to his party’s three decades in opposition before 2001.

His reasoning is simple: “we have heard the opposition. They have constantly proved that they have nothing to offer. It is obvious that the NPP project - the development of our society in freedom - is the only project in town. The prospect of a return of a Rawlings-controlled NDC - unfortunately the only viable opposition - does not appeal to the broad masses of our people and God willing, will not happen. But God will help those who help themselves and we have a heavenly duty not to fall asleep and allow this great nation’s destiny to be sidetracked once again”.

He describes the Kufuor administration as “a transforming force”. The government has radically widened the frontiers of good governance, with greater press freedom, a more structural attack against corruption, unprecedented macro-economic stability and more investment in the social sector especially health and education - with the setting up of a national health insurance scheme and the implementation of free compulsory primary education and greater emphasis on human resource development.

Yet, despite all the good showings of the government, an orchestrated propaganda that “there is no money in the pocket” has been mounted.

To his eager supporters he says “I have not changed the view that I expressed at my vetting last year. The most effective foundation for a successful tilt at the presidency by an NPP candidate in 2008 will be the good performance of the Kufuor government between now and then. If the government delivers on its promise of improving the social and economic conditions of the mass of our people, which it can, the work of the candidate would be considerably lightened. That then is where I want to put my energies for now - helping build a Kufuor legacy for 2008. It should be the aim for all of us”.

With the opposition concentrating on negative propaganda against the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo’s intetion to continue with the tremendous legacy of President John Kufuor will can be the winning formular for 2008.

Born: March 29, 1944
Married to Rebecca (neé Griffiths-Randolph) five children; eldest of four children of Adeline and Edward Akufo-Addo. Former Chief Justice and President of Ghana, 1969 - 1972.

Education: Lancing College, Sussex, England and the University of Ghana, Legon (B.Sc. Econs 1967).

Profession: Lawyer, called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971; called to the Ghanaian Bar in July 1975; associate counsel, Coudert Fréres (Brothers), major US law firm, at its Paris office in France (1971-75); junior member of the chambers of U.V. Campbell (1975-79); senior partner and co-founder in 1979 with Dr. Edmund Prempeh of prominent law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co.

Positions Held: General Secretary of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ) (1977-78); Vice President, Greater Accra Regional Branch of Ghana Bar Association (1989-91); President, Greater Accra Regional Branch of Ghana Bar Association (1991-96); Member, General Legal Council (1991-96); Member, Legal Committee of Ghana Bar Association (1991-96); Member, General Council of Ghana Bar Association (1991-96); founder and first Chairperson, Ghana Committee on Human and Peoples Rights; Member, National Council and National Executive Committee of New Patriotic Party (NPP) (1992 - ); 1992, 1996 and 2000 NPP parliamentary candidate for Abuakwa constituency; Chairperson, NPP Internal Affairs Committee (1996); Chairperson, NPP Legal & Constitutional Affairs Committee (1996-2000); Secretary, NPP Political Committee (1992-96); Secretary, 1996 NPP Policy Advisory Committee; NPP Member of Parliament for Abuakwa constituency (1997-2001) (2001-2005); NPP Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South constituency (2005-2009); Chairperson, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Subsidiary Legislation (1997-2001); Ranking Minority Member on Parliament’s Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (1997-2001); Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (1997-2001); Spokesperson of the Alliance for Change (AFC), broad based political pressure group (1995-96); Chairperson, DHL (Ghana) Ltd (1984-2001); Chairperson, Kinesic Communications Co. Ltd, publisher of the independent newspapers, “The Statesman” and “The Weekend Statesman” (1991-2001); Attorney General and Minister for Justice (2001-2003); Member, Judicial Council (2001-2003); Member, General Legal Council (2001-2003); Member, Board of Legal Education (2001-2003); Chairperson, legal Service Board (2001-2003); Member, Ghana Investors Advisory Council (2001-2003); Member, Ghana Aids Commission (2001-2003); Minister for Foreign Affairs April 2003 -) Honorary Fellow, Legon Hall, University of Ghana.

Languages: Fluent in Twi, Ga, Hausa, English, French. Favorite Past-times: Reading (history, biography, novels); music (classical, jazz, highlife); sports (soccer, cricket, squash).

Ghanadot, December 23, 2007

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