2008 - Exeter College - University of Oxford

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JOHN KUFUOR ATTENDINGTHE UN CONFERENCE ONTRADE AND DEVELOPMENTIN APRIL 2008EDUCATION IS TOP PRIORITYThe Government has been able to achieve allthe above on the basis of sound macroeconomicpolicies and practice of good governance,without compromising the rights of the people.This in turn is key to eying up private sectordevelopment with significant attraction ofprivate investments, both domestic and foreign.The financial sector is growing rapidly. Thegovernment and Barclays Bank have joined to setup the first ever International Financial ServicesCentre in the whole of Western Africa.Many a time, I reflect on the path I havetravelled to my current position as President ofmy country. Certainly, my stint at Oxford hasplayed a major part in who I am today, thechoices that I make and how I make them.I first arrived in the UK in 1959 quite aware ofmy potential for making a contribution in mycountry, and determined to prepare myself forservice back at home. I returned in 1964, with adegree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics andas a barrister from Lincoln’s Inn. But, there wasno certainty that I would come to hold any of thehigh offices that I have been privileged to servein. What has made the difference has been aconstant vision to make myself relevant to thedevelopment of my society, and therefore I havesustained a spirit of perseverance in spite of theheavy odds over the past 40 years. In this effort, Ihave used the values of my family background,the culture of Ghana and faithful application of theeducational precepts and influences of the variousinstitutions, especially Oxford and Lincoln’s Inn,through which I have been nurtured, and notleast, the traditions of my political party.Oxford is a privileged institution, and brightpeople from around the world come here. Nomatter how self-confident you are, others couldexhibit better qualities or intellect. This I believeshould lead us all to be humble, tolerant,circumspective and generous in our confidence.These attributes should give us influence which inturn contributes to the capacity to lead. You failhere if you leave with your degrees but withoutthese attributes which in Oxford parlance, maybe termed ‘empiricism…By the end of next year, I will have come to theend of my term. Before that there will be electionsfor the successor government. The legacy I wantfor the youth of Ghana and Africa generally is thatthey should seize the positive opportunitiesopening up in the global system to preparethemselves to stand shoulder to shoulder withtheir counterparts elsewhere and therebysecure a dignified position for Africa in theprocess of globalisation.The nagging problems left on the continentconfronting the black race generally, but moreparticularly southern Africa – which but for thenear-surreal leadership of the great NelsonMandela might have taken uglier turns in that partof Africa – must be exposed with candour so thatthey can be overcome effectively. This will enableAfricans to realise the visions espoused byMandela for the establishment of a happy“Rainbow Society” of the different racial groupsthat have made that part of the world their home.South Africa is showing the way by its policy ofthe Black Empowerment Agenda but moreeducation is needed for the youth of Africa.A more comprehensive framework providingfor reparations and compensations, vigorouspurposeful education in human rights, rule of law,gender and minority rights is urgently needed.Allurements of the comfortable life in thedeveloped world should therefore not distract youfrom the vision and prescription of Du Bois aboutthe trained “Talented Tenth” who must beavailable in service to their people.JOHN KOFIAGYEKUMKUFUOR■ Born 8thDecember 1938.■ Graduated fromExeter College in1964 having studiedPPE.■ Has been Presidentof Ghana sinceJanuary 2001, havingbeen re-elected inDecember 2004.■ Chaired the AfricanUnion for the 2007 –2008 session.This article is based onan extract from a speechmade by John Kufuor lastautumn, at an eventorganised by theAssociation of BlackRhodes Scholarswww.exetercollege.net EXON AUTUMN 2008 33
FEATUREEconomics of PeaceThe Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dominated by talk of politics, religion and geography. However, in the light of new researchconducted by The Portland Trust, it is clear that a peaceful solution must unlock the potential of the Palestinian economy.BY RONALD COHEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE PORTLAND TRUST (1964, PPE)My interest in the Middle East is personaland long-standing. I was born in Egypt, Iam Jewish and my family was expelled when Iwas 11 during the Suez crisis. When I began tothink about my second career after a successfulcareer building up Apax and the private equityindustry in Europe, it was obvious to me that Iwould spend some of my time and effortlooking at the seemingly intractableproblems of the Israeli-Palestinianconflict. With Sir Harry Solomon, whobuilt up Hillsdown Holdings into the largestfood group in Europe employing 50,000people, I decided to focus the internationalcommunity’s attention on the economicdimension of this conflict. We set upThe Portland Trust for this purpose atthe beginning of 2003, and we operatetoday through offices in London, Tel Avivand Ramallah.In Britain, we have become slightly moreattuned to the importance of economics inconflict situations because of ourexperience in Northern Ireland.But in the Middle East, ithas never been fullyunderstood that economicdevelopment makes peacepossible and that pooreconomic conditionsperpetuate conflict.A CRUCIAL FACTORThere is a lot of scepticism,particularly among politicians, thateconomics can help provide a solution toconflict. But work we carried out on the roleof economics in Northern Ireland clearlyshows that there is a direct link betweenprosperity and conflict resolution. Our studytook about 18 months to prepare, as theeconomic drivers of conflicts are nottypically closely documented. Whereasmost people believe that this conflict wasexclusively political and religious in nature,our study revealed that the disparitybetween Protestant and Catholicunemployment had a major impact onviolence. In 1970, the percentage of34 EXON AUTUMN 2008 www.exetercollege.net
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2008 - Exeter College - University of Oxford

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