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Africa: Ghana's Kufuor Defends His Government's Record on Transparency, the Economy

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

25 May 2002

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interview

Accra, Ghana — In the second and final part of an interview with allAfrica.com, Ghanaian president John Agyekum Kufuor talks about his hopes for Ghana and the performance of his government after 18 months in office.

He also discusses the National Reconciliation Commission set up to investigate crimes committed under successive military governments in Ghana until the return to constitutional government in 1992.

But he began with the visit to Ghana this week by America’s Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill and his traveling companion Bono, the Irish lead singer of rock band U2. Their four-nation African tour takes them to South Africa, Uganda and Ethiopia.

You welcomed Treasury Secretary, Paul O’Neill, here to Ghana this week. Mr O’Neill has acknowledged that he is something of an 'aid skeptic,’ Were you - and Bono - able to convince Mr O’Neill that Ghana is using aid responsibly and of the case for debt cancellation?

Mr O’Neill stated clearly that he had come to see, and to listen. He didn’t add that he would pronounce himself here.

A point to note is that Mr O’Neill and Bono flew in the same plane here and they came to visit me. I got the feeling that there was understanding already between the two gentlemen. They had come together, one representing the community of nations that one might describe as creditor nations or donor nations - that’s Mr O’Neill -- the other, Bono, representing the new force out there, appealing to the creditors to write off or forgive debt to the poorer parts of the world.

These two forces came together, on the same flight, to visit me, sat side by side with me, so I listened to them. Now what I discerned was that, out there, both the creditors and the friends of the poor, are getting very close together, wanting to bring on board the handicapped, so that the world might begin to feel at one to help bring relief to the handicapped.

But naturally, people who 'have', tend to insist on having value for money which, to me, is common sense. So I understood Mr O’Neill to be saying, look, we are agreeing to come and partner you, but we want to feel that whatever would come from our end towards you would be used transparently and efficiently for the good of your people. That is what I thought Mr O’Neill was saying and there is nothing wrong with that.

I also congratulated Bono for standing up. After all, he lives in Europe, he’s not an African. And yet he seemed to show that he understood the problems of poverty and other handicaps that Africa suffers from. That is why he has put himself forward, championing and advocating for the third world. So, I congratulated him for taking this initiative and also I assured him that here, Ghana, has given itself the leadership that truly is trying to be transparent, trying to be efficient in the face of all the difficulties. I assured them that whatever helps, and would come by way of relief from debt, would be used genuinely to advance the well being of the people of Ghana.

I heard a letter on the radio from a BBC listener asking why Bono should be the tour guide in Africa for the US Treasury Secretary and why Paul O’Neill didn’t travel with an African. Why Bono, an Irishman, a pop star, who really doesn’t know Africa?

I got the impression that Bono felt at one with Africa spiritually. He needn’t be an African and Paul O’Neill needn’t necessarily have come with an African. Africa is in debt to the advanced parts of the world. Africa needs advocates. So, if a fellow like Mr Bono has felt this need and would identify with Africa, and go at his own cost, to make an appeal and to be convincing, why should Africa be criticizing him? Rather we should welcome him.

We want to live in a world of peoples. We believe in humanity. We do not see national boundaries, continents and races and so on. So Bono is very welcome here and, to me, he is very sincere.

And did you know his music? Do you know the music of his band U2?

He sang a bit for some schoolchildren and I enjoyed him. I thought he was a very natural person, a very human person. I believe I have become a friend of his, a very big fan of his.

President Kufuor, coming back to the situation here in Ghana, another requirement of good governance, under Nepad, is the fight against corruption. When you came into office, you couldn’t stress enough that there would be ‘zero tolerance’ for corruption in Ghana. ‘Zero tolerance’ was a buzz expression of your government. Some people are saying, but look at Kufuor’s government. His brother is the defence minister, his brother-in-law is the senior minister, his nephews are in top positions as government officials - that it's nepotism.

I suspect that some of these people talk out of envy. Brother-in-law as senior minister has been a public servant, has been a minister - is it four times over? Way before Kufuor even had the chance to become president.

Are they suggesting that this man, with such rich, accumulated experiences in service of the nation as a minister in government, should be jettisoned just because he is Kufuor’s brother-in-law? The man chose his profession in politics way before Kufuor became president. So why should Kufuor disqualify him just because Kufuor is married to his sister?

And if you are referring to the minister of defence -

Your brother

- yes, my brother. He is a very accomplished politician. He was in parliament long before I became president. He is committed to public service. He used to be president of the Ghana Medical Association. He has won his own seat in parliament on my (New Patriotic) party’s side. Why should I disqualify him from being a minister, when you look at the performance he has put up within the past year and a half? Just talk with the public generally to see whether he has been a second-rate minister. He is distinguishing himself all round.

So, why shouldn’t Kufuor take advantage of this blessing of a brother?

If his nephews are in government, all of them, check their CVs. Check whether they were plucked from somewhere by Kufuor and put in places where they become like square pegs in round holes. All of them fit beautifully.

Kufuor is just lucky to have been born into this situation where there are so many accomplished people who had already chosen their careers in public life, and who had made it there, Kufuor is only acknowledging them.

And in any case Kufuor is not surrounded entirely by his family. No. I assure you, Kufuor’s government is full of highly-qualified, competent people who had made their careers in public life, most of whom are not Kufuor’s relatives. It just happens there are some of Kufuor’s relatives in place, but these people were there before Kufuor came and Kufuor cannot rightly disqualify them. And Kufuor won’t do it in any case, because they have good services to render to Ghana.

Is Ghana looking forward, is Ghana looking up, under President John Agyekum Kufuor?

Ghana is looking forward with Kufuor and Ghana expects to go upwards with Kufuor into prosperity, happiness and advancement.

I ask, because now that you have outlined your plans and ambitions, and set out your policies, I hear Ghanaians grumbling, saying "no money in the system" and complaining that the economy isn’t moving fast enough. "What is Kufuor’s government doing?" they ask? "They came in with promises and with pledges, but they are not delivering."

Kufuor’s government is moving at top speed. These are a people who lost their voices for the past two or three decades under ‘revolutionary’ leaders, or so-called, who wouldn’t allow them any say at all, to the extent that an historian dubbed the people as ‘living in a culture of silence’.

All of a sudden, they get a government that has repealed the criminal libel laws, a government that is encouraging people to be expressive. Like the damned people who have found their voices, all of a sudden everybody is cackling on FM radio stations and talking. And from the hunger and deprivation they suffered over the decades, all of a sudden they want to demand, they want food now, now, now.

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