Kufuor spent a long time in business before he returned to politics. It was not until that he ran for the office of chairman for the New Patriotic Party, which had just been formed. He was not elected to the post until , but was then re-elected in He faced a lot of competition each time he ran, but refused to give up, and eventually succeeded in being elected.
He next turned his sights towards becoming Ghana's president. He was confident of being elected president, and in fact predicted it to U. President Bill Clinton when he visited in Kufuor was indeed elected president in , defeating longtime president Jerry Rawlings. It was considered by many to be a turning point in Ghana's future.
In Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to claim independence from colonists. The country was then basically handed from one man to another through a system of personal and political loyalties, and without the benefit of democratic elections.
There are two distinct groups in Ghana: the Nkrumah, who are anti-imperialistic, pan-Africa, socialist, and believe in government involvement in the economy; and the Danquah-Busia, who believe in democracy, the sovereignty of the individual, private enterprise, and free markets. Kufuor belonged to the latter. After such an extended period of rule by one person, many were nervous about how the turnover of power would go, but the change went smoothly.
Kufuor managed to win the election with the platform of "zero tolerance for corruption. The country was also doing poorly economically, mostly because of such corruption, and people were ready for a change.
Kufuor was nicknamed the "gentle giant" because he was tall—at six feet, three inches—and quiet, and yet he seemed to instill confidence in those he was to lead.
In Kufuor made his first trip to the United States as president of Ghana. He attended a luncheon set up to establish links between Ghana and black American business leaders, with the goal of forging links that would help his country in the future.
Although he was called the "gentle giant," Kufuor meant business. In he set up a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to examine abuses of power occurring under the five governments that had ruled Ghana since Some felt these measures were undertaken in order to discredit anyone opposing Kufuor's government. But whatever the opposition Kufuor faced, he was reelected in This time his campaign message was "So far, so good," showing that there had been progress in Ghana in his first term.
More than 80 percent of the population turned out to vote in the elections; it was the largest turnout in west African history. After Kufuor won his second term in office the PR Newswire said, "Domestic and international election observers agreed that the contest was free, fair, and transparent. Ghana, many observers noted, is one of the few countries in Africa to have held four consecutive multiparty elections since By August of Kufuor had visited over 63 countries as president of Ghana, and Kufuor had great support from the international community.
He helped Liberia achieve peace, was the first ruler to submit his country to review by the New Partnership for Africa's Development, and was a spokesperson for the six leaders from Africa who attended the G8 summit in He has been seen as one of a handful of leaders of an African Renaissance, helping to bring stability and success to Africa. Kufour has been called a "boring" leader by some in his own country, but that is something that does not upset the ruler.
He has said that if boredom has brought with it the peace and stability his country needs, then he thinks there should be more boredom in the world. Kufuor was one of ten distinguished global leaders tasked to work on the reform of the World Bank and the international Monetary Fund.
Kufuor also became the inaugural lecturer in at the legatum Centre for development and Entrepreneurship at Mit, Boston, and inaugurated the lecture series, Global Health Ground Rounds at the Cornell Medical School in new York. Continue to the site you have selected.
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