Your Excellency, President of the Republic of Ghana,

Mr. President of the ACP Council of Ministers,

Honourable Ministers,

Distinguished Ambassadors,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The visit by His Excellency President KUFUOR is indeed, as you have so rightly said Mr. President of Council, a double honour: an honour, first of all, to welcome an ACP Head of State, and an honour to have this opportunity to discuss with the President-in-Office of the African Union.

Before we have the pleasure of listening to President KUFUOR, let me very quickly present him to you by highlighting some aspects of his rich and distinguished career.  

Before embarking on a successful political career, our distinguished guest studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, London, one of the four Inns of Court, and was called to the Bar in 1961 at the tender age of 22 years. He later attended Exeter College of the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree in philosophy, political science and economics. 

President KUFUOR entered local government as Chief Legal Officer and Town Clerk of Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana.

It came as no surprise, therefore, when he was elected Member of Parliament in 1969, during the Second Republic, and was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs up to 1972.

He returned to Parliament during the Third Republic and was named Foreign Affairs Spokesperson. President KUFUOR was a member of the Constituent Assemblies that drafted the constitutions of the Second and Third Republics, respectively.

Following the overthrow of the Third Republic in 1981, President KUFUOR was appointed Secretary for Local Government. During his tenure, he was instrumental in introducing the Local Government Policy Guidelines which have formed the basis for Ghana’s current decentralisation programme, including the establishment of the District Assemblies.

Following the installation of the Fourth Republic in 1992, President KUFUOR left the private sector to contest the presidential elections in 1996 under the banner of the New Patriot Party. In 1998 he was re-nominated by the NPP to run again for the Presidency, and also to officially assume the leadership of the Party.

President KUFUOR came to power in 2000, after convincingly winning the presidential elections which were recognised as transparent and democratic by the international community.

His unfailing commitment to peace is especially manifested through a policy based essentially on openness, the fight against poverty and development.

President KUFUOR was re-elected President of the Republic in the presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2004 with a majority of votes. Observers to the elections commended the proper organisation and regularity of the elections.

Mr. President of Council,

Honourable Ministers,

Distinguished Ambassadors,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me conclude by underscoring the fact that you have among you today, a pragmatic politician and statesman who, over several decades, has marked the political life of his country with force and conviction, and is held in very high esteem both in the West African sub-region and in the wider Africa.

Thank you for your attention.