Also known as: former President Kufuor · J. A. Kufuor · H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor · Mr Kufuor · Former President John Agyekum Kufuor · Ex-President Kufuor · Mr. Kufuor · John A. Kufuor · President J.A. Kufuor · President John Agyekum Kufuor
Former President of Ghana whose tenure saw the initiation of the Afari Military Hospital project and whose leadership is cited as an example of overcoming political adversity.
… The party argued that the current administration is indirectly reintroducing “criminal libel” through the use of Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, despite Ghana repealing its Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws in 2001 under former President John Agyekum Kufuor. …
… Professor Jeffrey David Sachs, a leading global development economist, contributed to academic guidance and international partnerships.The university’s early programmes also featured participation from former President John Agyekum Kufuor and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo‑Addo …
Afenyo-Markin condemns arrest of NPP regional chairman as political persecution
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·The Chronicle
… According to him, the government was using Sections 207 and 208 of Act 29 to effectively recreate the criminal libel regime abolished in 2001 under former President John Agyekum Kufuor. …
… recreating the atmosphere of fear and repression associated with Ghana’s past “culture of silence.” He accused the Mahama administration of using Sections 207 and 208 of Act 29 to indirectly restore criminal libel laws abolished in 2001 under former President John Agyekum Kufuor …
… Mr Kodua referenced previous administrations under former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, arguing that critics and political opponents were allowed to express their views freely without intimidation. …
… He disclosed that he was first appointed Northern Regional Deputy Minister under former President John Agyekum Kufuor and was later retained in government by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. …
… He recalled also playing a role in hosting Ghanaian leaders who visited the United States during that period, including former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor. …
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned what it describes as sustained attacks by political commentator Kevin Ekow Taylor against former President John Agyekum Kufuor, calling on the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to publicly dissociate itself from the remarks …
… A major intervention came from former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who delivered a keynote address remotely, warning that climate change now poses a direct and escalating threat to cocoa production across West Africa. …
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, stated in Toronto that he works with whichever President Ghanaians elect and offers counsel to the current administration. He has advised every President since Jerry John Rawlings and continues to do so with President Mahama, maintaining that his loyalty lies with the sovereign will of the people rather than any political party.
Why it matters
Asantehene's reaffirmation of institutional loyalty above party politics reinforces constitutional principle in multiparty democracy.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, stated in Toronto that he works with whichever President Ghanaians elect and offers counsel to the current administration. He has advised every President since Jerry John Rawlings and continues to do so with President Mahama, maintaining that his loyalty lies with the sovereign will of the people rather than any political party.
Samuel Awuku, Member of Parliament for Akuapim North and former NPP National Organiser, has sent a message of solidarity to NPP flagbearer Mahamudu Bawumia, urging him to remain steadfast through current political challenges, invoking the examples of former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo who overcame similar adversities before achieving electoral success.
Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, born in Koforidua in 1941, is an APSU alumnus whose career as a diplomat, agricultural economist, parliamentarian, and minister of state has been marked by commitment to service and nation-building. He studied agriculture at KNUST and earned postgraduate degrees in the Netherlands and London before serving in senior roles at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation across Africa, the Caribbean, and South America.
An opinion piece argues that loyalty to a political party is not determined by years of membership, but by one's actions during the party's strongest and weakest moments, using the NPP's history and former President Kufuor's leadership as examples.
Former NPP parliamentary candidate Akosua Manu has called on party members to abandon what she calls an "entitlement mentality" and focus instead on unity, sacrifice and hard work ahead of the 2028 general election. She argues that loyalty to the party should be measured by contributions and commitment rather than length of membership, citing examples of former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo who faced internal party opposition before achieving electoral success.
President John Dramani Mahama opened the Next Steps High-Level Consultative Conference on Reparatory Justice in Accra on June 18, calling for the international community to move beyond acknowledgment of historical injustices towards meaningful action, truth-telling, and reconciliation. The conference brought together leaders from over 80 countries, including the presidents of Senegal, Namibia, Liberia, and São Tomé and Príncipe, among others.
An opinion piece reflects on ex-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta's successful legal challenge to US immigration charges, noting that while he has achieved judicial success with counsel Minka-Premo, his case carries broader political, moral, and sociological implications beyond the courtroom.
Kennedy Agyapong claimed the NPP government "didn't do anything" during its eight years in office to complete the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital. Joy Online's fact-check found this claim false, citing project records that contradict Agyapong's assertion.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused the government of plotting to pay an unjustified US$85 million to the contractor of the Afari Military Hospital project in Kumasi. Deputy Ranking Member Kofi Amankwa-Manu alleged that government claims the 500-bed hospital was only 60 percent complete are false, citing Project Implementation Unit documents showing the core facility was 92.5 percent complete as of September 2024 and the overall project 98 percent complete by January 2025.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has endorsed the upcoming OMJ SoccerFest–Akuapem South 2026, scheduled for July 3–5 at Ahwerase Town Park, after receiving a delegation from the OMJ Foundation. The fourth edition of the tournament will involve all 31 principal towns in Akuapem South Municipality and feature football matches, health screenings, youth mentorship, cultural exhibitions, and community development activities.
Former NPP flagbearer aspirant Kennedy Agyapong admitted the party failed to complete and operationalise the Afari Military Hospital in the Ashanti Region despite eight years in government. The project, begun under President Kufuor and advanced by the NDC, remained unfinished throughout the NPP's administration.
The Minority in Parliament has blamed the NDC for delays in the Afari Military Hospital project, claiming the NDC relocated it three times after assuming office in 2009, causing a six-year delay and requiring a contractor claim of US$36 million, later negotiated to US$19.3 million. According to the Deputy Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, the project was only 40 per cent complete by December 2016 when the NDC left office.
The government has clarified that President Mahama has not constituted a committee to review Article 71 office holders' emoluments, and that current salaries and conditions of service were inherited from the previous administration. Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu described claims of salary increases for political appointees at the Presidency as misleading.
A new book by Prof. Kwaku Appiah-Adu and Andrew O. Asibey, with a foreword by former President John A. Kufuor, explores how Ghana and other African countries have embedded evidence-based decision-making into government. The authors argue that Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) has become a key instrument in business, governance, education, commerce, and security, and examine how nations can measure whether their policies are actually working.
Ghana officially launched an e-visa system on 25 May 2026 to modernize visa administration and simplify travel, with the government announcing that African passport holders will not be required to pay visa fees when using the platform.
The Director of the Democracy Project at CDD-Ghana has described growing public tension within the NDC as a "worrying development" if allowed to intensify, cautioning that prolonged internal divisions could distract the government and affect public confidence in the administration. His comments follow a reported strained relationship and recent exchange of words between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.
More than 50 shops and structures were demolished in Ashaiman on 21 May 2026 by a private developer reclaiming land where traders had been operating. The demolition, carried out without notice in the early morning, destroyed goods and livelihoods of traders dealing in plumbing materials, electrical appliances, and other goods; affected traders say they have occupied the disputed land for more than five decades.
Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has acknowledged growing manoeuvring within the NDC over who could succeed President John Mahama, calling Dr Callistus Mahama's concerns about early-succession politics distracting the government legitimate. Ofosu argued that the NDC's electoral fortunes would depend more on government performance than on personalities seeking to lead the party.
Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has endorsed calls for government appointees with presidential ambitions to eventually step aside if their political activities distract from governance, saying electoral fortunes will depend on performance rather than personalities.
The New Patriotic Party has petitioned Ghana's diplomatic community alleging that the Mahama administration is weaponising state institutions against political opponents, journalists, and critics, warning that the country is returning to a "culture of silence" through fear and politically motivated prosecutions.
The Consular & Diplomatic Service University, founded in 2015, has reflected on more than a decade of development in diplomatic education, leadership training, and international academic cooperation, with its growth shaped by successive leadership transitions and foundational partnerships with Ghanaian institutions.
Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has accused President John Dramani Mahama of resurrecting Ghana's abolished criminal libel regime through the prosecution of NPP Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC), who was arraigned on charges of offensive conduct and publication of false news stemming from a social media video criticising a Circuit Court judge. Afenyo-Markin described the arrest and prosecution as unconstitutional, a threat to free speech and democracy, and "state-sponsored political persecution."
Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has condemned the arrest and prosecution of Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC), calling it "state-sponsored political persecution" by President John Dramani Mahama's government. Abronye DC was arraigned on May 13, 2026, on charges of offensive conduct and publication of false news stemming from comments criticizing a Circuit Court judge's conduct and impartiality.
The New Patriotic Party has warned it could respond similarly if the alleged harassment, intimidation, and arrests of its officials and supporters by state institutions continues. General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua, speaking at a police headquarters protest over a police invitation to NPP activist Nana Addo Nyame, accused the NDC government of using state institutions to target political opponents and suppress dissenting views.
Former Finance Minister Dr Mohammed Amin Adam advised young people to combine hard work with humility to succeed in life, speaking at the commissioning of a classroom block at the Northern School of Business. He reflected on his long service as deputy minister under two presidents, saying discipline, resilience, and modesty shaped his journey.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, MP for Bosomtwe and former Education Minister, has recounted how an encounter with former President Nana Akufo-Addo in the United States, where Adutwum was building schools and leading Ghanaian community organizations, led to his decision to return to Ghana to help transform the education system.
The NPP has condemned political commentator Kevin Ekow Taylor's attacks on former President John Agyekum Kufuor and called on the NDC to publicly dissociate itself from the remarks, arguing that the party's silence amounts to complicity and calling the attacks "vicious" and a desecration.
The Africa Cocoa Finance & Investment Forum 2026 in London centered on climate risks to West African cocoa production and calls for structural market reform. Former President Kufuor warned that rising temperatures, soil degradation, and pests threaten productivity, and noted that Africa produces about 70% of the world's cocoa but captures less than 2% of the global chocolate market, advocating for industrialisation and value addition.
NPP National Chairman hopeful Awentami Paul Afoko is holding high-level consultations with former Vice President Bawumia, former Presidents Akufo-Addo and Kufuor, and other key party figures, as well as the five presidential primary aspirants, ahead of the party's upcoming National Delegates Conference. Afoko, who previously served as NPP National Chairman from 2014 to 2015, is campaigning on a 3R Agenda (Reunite, Rebuild, Recapture) aimed at returning the party to power in 2028 following its 2024 election defeat.