Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, the minister of trade, has left the cabinet.
The minister submitted his resignation letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo on January 5, 2023, according to numerous people close to him.
There have long been rumours that the person known as “Alan Cash” wants to run for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer position.
But it’s unclear if the resignation is intended to free him up to focus on that goal.
His Political Journey
In 2007, Mr. Kyerematen ran for the NPP leadership and received 32.3% of the vote.
He came in second place behind Nana Akufo-Addo, who received 47.96% of the vote.
In his subsequent bids for the party’s leadership in 2010 and 2014, Mr. Kyerematen came in second to Akufo-Addo, who had won the primary elections.
To replace departing Director-General Pascal Lamy, Ghana submitted Kyerematen for the position of World Trade Organization (WTO) director-general in 2012, and the African Union (AU) supported his candidacy.
He did not, however, make the shortlist for the 2013 selection process.
Kyerematen was sworn in as Ghana’s Minister of Trade in 2017.
Since 2018, he has promoted the government’s One District One Factory plan, which has given birth to around 170 factories nationwide.
Under Mr. Kyerematen’s direction at the Trade Ministry, the nation also saw global automakers like Suzuki, VW, Nissan, Sino Trucks, and others produce locally under the Automotive Development Policy.
More about Alan Cash
From 2003 to 2007, Alan Kyerematen held the same role.
He has a long and illustrious history in politics, diplomacy, business growth, public policy, and international trade.
He is a former ambassador to the US, a senior corporate executive, a lawyer, and a UN policy advisor. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Ghana’s Minister of Trade, Industry, and Presidential Special Initiatives. During that time, he oversaw the conception, development, and execution of special initiatives and innovative programs that have now evolved into the country’s new strategic growth pillars.
In the WTO, the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Negotiations, AGOA, and UNCTAD, he also had a significant impact in shaping the agenda for African trade policy.
Mr. Kyerematen held the position of Ghanaian Ambassador to the United States of America from 2001 to 2003 before being named Minister. In that capacity, he oversaw the negotiation of a number of historic trade and investment agreements between Ghana and the United States as well as the founding of the Ghana-United States Economic Council, which was essential in strengthening trade ties between the two nations. Alan Kyerematen served as the first Regional Director of ENTERPRISE AFRICA, the flagship program of UNDP for the growth and promotion of small and medium-sized businesses in Africa, from 1998 to 2001. In 13 Sub-Saharan African nations—Botswana, Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda—he built enterprise assistance programs under that structure. These programs have assisted almost 4,000 African small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Alan Kyerematen established and oversaw the EMPRETEC Programme in Ghana in 1990, a significant business development organization supported by the UN and Barclays Bank Limited. He oversaw the transformation of EMPRETEC from a UN project into an autonomous Foundation that is now known as a top-tier organization and a model for best practices in the development of entrepreneurship in Africa. He served as the Principal Consultant and Head of Public Systems Management for the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI), Ghana’s preeminent management development organization, between 1984 and 1990, managing a number of significant private and public sector consulting assignments. Prior to that, he served with distinction in a variety of managerial roles for UAC Ghana Ltd, a Unilever International subsidiary, from 1977 to 1984 as a senior corporate executive.
From July 2011 to December 2013, Alan Kyerematen served as the coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa. He oversaw initiatives to develop the skills of various African nations in trade policy formulation and trade negotiations. He also played a key role in the technical committee that the African Union assembled to create the Action Plan for the creation of an African Continental Free Trade Area.
In addition to being a Ghana Law School-trained Barrister-at-Law, Alan Kyerematen holds a degree in economics from the University of Ghana. Additionally, he participated in the US Fulbright Fellowship Program as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Affairs and School of Management. He has held board positions with a number of different organizations in Ghana in addition to serving as a member of the Council of Governors of the British Executive Service Overseas (BESO) in the United Kingdom.
Together with individuals like Bill Gates and John F. Kennedy Jr. of the United States of America, Mr. Kyerematen was included in the Time International Magazine’s 1994 list of the top 100 global leaders for the new millennium.
What is Your Opinion?
Could Alan Kyerematen’s resignation be just the surface of something bigger in the NPP camp?
Share your thoughts. Let us know what you think.
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