Who is prof Kwesi Botchwey? All you need to know about the former Minister of Finance
Prof Kwesi Botchwey is one of the brightest people Ghana has ever produced. He is an educationist who has travelled the world to learn and also disseminate knowledge. He studied abroad, and when he returned home, he went as far as East Africa to teach. President Jerry Rawlings saw that he wouldn't let this mind benefit other parts of the world while his country was in need of people like him. That is why he appointed him as a minister in the 1980s.
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Ghana may not rank first in Africa when it comes to development and riches, but it is a powerhouse in education. Literacy levels are higher, thus contributing to better leadership.
It is among the most politically stable countries on the continent thanks to people like Kwesi Botchwey, who introduced sound policies in their respective fields. On his part, Botchwey steered the country on the right path to economic recovery and development.
Profile summary
| Name | Prof Kwesi Botchwey |
| Date of birth | 13th September 1944 |
| Place of birth | Central Region, Ghana |
| Age | 79 years old (as of 2022) |
| Birth sign | Virgo |
| Gender | Male |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Ethnicity | African |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Drak brown |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Unknown |
| Children | 3 |
| Secondary School | Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School |
| Alma Mater | University of Ghana, Yale University, University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Former Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Predecessor | Dr George Benneh |
| Successor | Richard Kwame Peprah |
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Who is prof Kwesi Botchwey?
Prof Kwesi Botchwey was born on 13th September 1944 in the central region of Ghana. He is 79 years old as of 2022, and his zodiac sign is Virgo. Details of his family background, including parents, siblings, and upbringing, have not been provided.
He attended the prestigious Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School in Ghana for his secondary school education. He has an LL.B., which he obtained from the University of Ghana. He then furthered his studies at Yale Law School, earning an LL.M. He also has a doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.
In 1972, he undertook a Doctoral of Juridical Sciences (SJD) at Michigan University. He has participated in numerous publications on economic, political, and development issues.
Prof Kwesi Botchwey’s achievements
In his early career days, Prof Kwesi Botchwey used to teach at the University of Zambia and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. He also served as a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana in 1974.
As an academic, he has participated in several publications such as Growth and Poverty Alleviation in Africa, Globalization: What has it meant for Africa and what does the future portend, Ownership of National Development Programs and Mobilizing Capital Flows in Support of Accelerated Development.
Finance minister
In 1982, President John Jerry Rawlings appointed Prof Kwesi as Ghana's Finance Minister. He got the appointment when the country's economy was in shambles, but he turned it around. He was minister until 1995, when he exited, becoming Ghana's longest-serving minister of finance. In the 13 years, he was minister, he helped Ghana attain stability and become one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa.
During the period he was minister, Kwesi also served as a development advisor at the Harvard Institute for International Development. In 1998, he became the Director of African Programmes Research, where he delivered a lecture on Managing Economic Reform in Low-Income Countries.
Post-ministerial career
As of 2002, Kwesi has been a Senior Research Scholar at the Centre for Globalisation and Sustainable Development, the Earth Institute, and Columbia University (USA). He has also served on numerous boards and committees dealing with international and African development. As a consultant, his services are widely sought by major international institutions, including the World Bank and UNDP.
Prof Botchwey recently served as a chairman of a panel of eminent persons appointed by the UN Secretary-General to review the UN-New Agenda for Africa's Development in the 1990s (UN-WADAF). He is a member and convener of a team of academics from Yale, Oxford, and the Free University of Amsterdam.
He also served as a member of the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons for the facilitation of the Signing of the Uruguay Round of Gatt Negotiations, the OECD group of high-level experts for the review of the OECD study on globalization and linkages to 2020, and the Commonwealth Expert Group on Good Governance and the Elimination of Corruption in Economic Management.
Kwesi has delivered many papers and given speeches at conferences. He wrote a theme paper for the African Development Forum on HIV/AIDS and economic development in Africa. He gave a keynote address on the magnitude and drivers of the brain drain in Africa at Harvard University’s 1999 Africa Business Conference. Other papers and speeches he has given include:
- Deepening Structural Adjustment Reforms and Policies for Growth in Africa (May 1996).
- Growth and Poverty Alleviation in Africa, ODC Conference on African Economic Recovery (1996).
- Mobilizing capital flows in support of accelerated African development – the role of capital markets.
- The Politics of Administrative Reform, World Bank, (June 1998).
- The Role of the State, the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury Secretary in the context of Economic Liberalization and Globalization, Abidjan, (June 1998).
Who is Kwesi Botchwey’s wife?
While Dr Kwesi has been a married man for a long time, he has managed to hide the identities of his wife and children from the public. Nonetheless, the family man is a proud father of three children.
What is Prof Kwesi Botchwey’s net worth?
Having served at a high level in government and other corporate entities, Prof Kwesi Botchwey has had a distinguished career accompanied by hefty salaries. He is among the richest people in his country. As of 2022, he has an alleged net worth of $200 million.
FAQs
- Is Prof Kwesi Botchwey running for the presidency? No, in 2018, there were reports that Botchwey had joined the NDC presidential race and claimed that he was to be Mahama's running mate, but that never happened.
- How old is Prof Kwesi Botchwey? Botchwey, who was born on 13th September 1944, is 79 years old as of 2022.
- Where does Prof Kwesi Botchwey come from? The Ghanaian Professor of law was born in the Central Region of Ghana.
- For how long was Prof Kwesi Botchwey finance minister? He is Ghana's longest-serving finance minister, having held the position for thirteen years.
- What happened to Prof Kwesi Botchwey? After exiting the finance minister position, he returned to private practice as a lawyer and an academic. He is a Senior Research Scholar Centre for Globalisation and Sustainable Development, the Earth Institute, and Columbia University (USA).
- Is Prof Kwesi Botchwey married? Yes, Prof Botchwey is married, and he has three children.
There is no better role model for Ghanaians to emulate than Prof Kwesi Botchwey. He is a scholar whose mastery of law and economics fascinates many. He values education so much and inspires Ghanaian children to work hard in their studies to succeed. He is remembered for being instrumental in stabilizing the collapsed economy of Ghana during President Jerry Rawlings's reign.
Yen.com.gh published an article about Adwoa Safo. She is a popular name in the Ghana political space. She is one of the influential women in the country, just as she was rightly honoured as one of the Top 100 Women of the Year by Glitz Africa.
Adwoa Safo has steadily walked a political path that has led her to the Ghanaian Parliament. The lawyer and politician is an ambitious woman who has impacted society in numerous ways. Moreso, she is a role model and inspiration to many young women aspiring for greater heights.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
