By Celestine Avi & Ivan Amponsah
Great Transformational Plan, GTP is Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen‘s blueprint to transform Ghana’s economy, and sustain growth and Prosperity for the country. Alan Kyerematen popularly called ALAN CASH ” is promising that he will deliver a resounding victory to the NPP if elected to hoist the flag into the 2024 General Elections.
Early Years and Education :
Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen was born on 3 October 1955. in Ejisu in the Ashanti Region to Mr. Alexander Atta Yaw Kyerematen, a social anthropologist from Patasse, Kumasi and Victoria Kyerematen (née Welsing) from Elmina and Ejisu. He was named after an Archbishop of the Church of England, Most Reverend Alan John Knight CMG DD who was the Headmaster of the all-boys Anglican boarding school, Adisadel College in Cape Coast in the 1930s, and a mentor to his father, A.A.Y. Kyerematen. Alan Kyerematen attended Adisadel College for his secondary education. He attended Achimota School afterwards for his sixth-Form education. He proceeded to the University of Ghana, Legon for a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Mr Kyerematen holds a Law degree, LLB from the Ghana Law School at the same university where he qualified as a Barrister-at-Law. Mr. Kyerematen is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow of the School of Management at the University of Minnesota, U.S. A, having completed one year management studies under the Fulbright Fellowship program at that institution.
Politics and Governance:
Alan Kyerematen, has an extensive and distinguished record in international trade, international public policy, enterprise development, politics and diplomacy. As the Minister for Trade, Industry and President’s Special Initiatives (PSI) from 2003, Mr. Kyerematen led the design, development and implementation of innovative programmes and special initiatives which created new strategic pillars of growth for the Ghanaian economy. He was re-appointed as Minister for Trade and Industry in 2005 and served in that capacity until 2007.
Alan Kyerematen played a key role in shaping Africa’s Trade Policy agenda in the WTO Multilateral Negotiations and the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations during the period. He was one of the lead negotiators for Africa in the WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun in 2003, and also participated in the high-level “Green Room” consultations during the Hong Kong WTO Conference in December 2005. He initiated, directed and managed the preparations for the hosting of UNCTAD XII in Ghana, and introduced for the first time in the history of UNCTAD Conferences, the World Investment Forum which has now become a major calendar event for UNCTAD. He also coordinated and supervised the hosting of the Sixth United States-Africa Summit in 2006 in Ghana. He also played a key role in negotiating changes in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
He was Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Trade Ministers at the critical stages of the launching of the EU-ECOWAS EPA Negotiations. Prior to his appointment as Minister, Mr. Kyerematen served as Ambassador of Ghana to the United States of America from 2001 to 2003. In that role, he negotiated various trade and investment agreements between Ghana and the United States and initiated the establishment of the Ghana-United States Economic Council, which played a strategic role in deepening trade relations between the two countries and resolved commercial disputes through extra-judicial processes.
Mr. Kyerematen once served as a senior corporate executive with UAC Ghana Ltd, a subsidiary of Unilever International, where he worked in various managerial positions with distinction until 1984.
Alan Kyerematen was responsible for establishing and managing the EMPRETEC Programme in
Ghana, a leading business development programme sponsored by the United Nations and Barclays Bank
Limited in 1990. He led the transformation of EMPRETEC from a UN project into an independent Foundation, and as its founding Chief Executive, developed the Foundation into a world-class institution which is recognized as a successful model and best practice institution for enterprise development in Africa. In 1998, Alan Kyerematen was appointed by the UNDP as the first Regional Director of ENTERPRISE
AFRICA, which was an Africa-wide, flagship initiative for the development and promotion of small and
medium enterprises. Under that framework, he established enterprise support institutions and programmes in 13 Sub-Saharan African countries.
Trade Minister:
Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, was appointed in 2017 by President Akufo-Addo as the Minister for Trade and Industry. His main task was to fashion out policies to lead Ghana’s transformation agenda. Under his leadership more than 170 local factories were established under the government’s One District One Factory Initiative. Mr. Alan Kyerematen played a pivotal role in the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA. He also contributed immensely in Ghana’s quest to host the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra.
Mr. Alan Kyerematen led Ghana’s Automobile Industry development. In 2019, he introduced the Automotive Development Policy, which seeks to make Ghana a fully integrated and competitive industrial hub for the automotive industry in the sub-region. Through this initiative, about six international Automobile companies have established their assembly plants in Ghana. These include Volkswagen (VW), Toyota, Sinotruck, Nissan, Peugeot and KIA. The policy has also extended support to Ghana’s Automobile manufacturer Kantanka Automobile. This has not only brought much-needed jobs and economic activity to the country, but it has also opened up opportunities in the finance, supply chain and tech ecosystems. Mr. Kyerematen also led the establishment of Business Resource Centres across the country to train the youth in entrepreneurship. The industrial Parks concept in Ghana was also initiated by Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen.
Presidential Ambition:
Mr. Kyerematen is making a fourth attempt to be the NPP Presidential Candidate.
At the launch of his campaign, Mr. Kyerematen unveiled his Great Transformational Plan GTP.
Mr. Kyerematen believes his contribution to the NPP will place him to lift the flag of the party into the 2024 General Election.
Mr. Kerematen says his integrity and hard work makes ”the best among the ten Aspirants to lead the NPP into victory”.
Mr. Kyerematen is appealing to the delegates in upcoming Presidential Primaries to consider his contribution to the party since 1992 and reward him with the Flagbearership.
