Story By Frederick Nnoma-Addison
Monday July 23, 2012
The Presidential Candidate of Ghana’s Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom yesterday launched the Washington, DC Metro Chapter of his party during a town hall and book signing event held outside Washington, DC in Arlington, Virginia. The forum was attended by party members and friends. Addressing the attendees, Dr. Nduom presented his party’s agenda and pitched it as the better alternative to both the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the lead opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP). After the event Dr. Nduom signed and presented copies of his new book “Where I Stand: A collection of Speeches and Newspaper Articles” to the attendees.
In an interview with him earlier this year in January Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom raised the bar for democracy in Ghana by challenging Ghanaians to “aspire for an American or European standard of democracy instead of an African standard.” The influential statesman, politician & entrepreneur who has a very competitive resume from the United said that he expects more from Ghanaians and will not settle for mediocrity even as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections in December this year. “This year’s elections will be keenly contested; it will set new standards, test our democratic resolve and be another defining moment in our history, and I urge all Ghanaians to demand high standards from government officials and each other…I don’t have to organize a political party at this time but I chose to do so because it has merits for Ghana and our democratic process. Despite my commitments to my expansive business enterprises I will still devote time and resources to help promote our multi party democracy and our nation.”
As the 2006 Minister of State and primary technical expert who helped Ghana secure and appropriate a $547 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the United States, he stressed the importance of Ghana-U.S. relations and said that both Ghana and the United States need to review their bilateral relations and determine the direction of the new phase, in view of new players like China. “Our formal, intergovernmental relationship needs greater understanding. I think that America must redefine its friendship with Ghana since Ghana is of strategic importance to the United States…On an individual basis U.S.-Ghana relations is thriving, Ghanaians are as much a part of American society as are Americans. The relations that individuals have in either country must end up opening doors for individuals and communities both in America and Ghana, like it did for me personally when I first came to the United States on an American Field Service (AFS) year-long scholarship in the 70’s, prior to my secondary school education in Ghana.”
Papa Kwesi Nduom was born in Elmina, Central Region of Ghana. He attended St. Augustine’s College (secondary school) in Ghana and returned to the United States for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics (1975), a Master’s degree in Management (1977) and a Ph.D (Service Delivery Systems) in 1982, all from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He started work as a life insurance underwriter with the North Western Mutual Life Insurance Company between 1975 and 1978. The following year he worked with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin. In 1979, he joined the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District as a Budget and Management Analyst and then joined Deloitte and Touche as an associate consultant in 1981, rising to become a partner in the Milwaukee office of the firm by 1986 before being transferred to Washington, DC. Nduom eventually returned to Ghana via a consulting assignment with the Ashanti Gold Company. In 1992, he helped establish Deloitte & Touche, Ghana and consequently in West Africa and retired as the board chairman for the Africa region.
During President Kufuor’s administration (2001-2009) Dr. Nduom served as Energy and Public Sector Reform minister between 2001 and 2007 and oversaw Ghana’s contract with Kosmos Energy, a U.S. oil and gas exploration firm at the helm of oil drilling in Ghana. In 2008, he was nominated to become the Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) nominee for the presidential election. Asked why he continues to pursue political ambitions when he got an insignificant percentage of votes during the 2008 presidential elections, he explained that public service still remains one of the best platforms to make a positive impact in the lives of millions of people.
Today, through a consortium of private business enterprises, he provides gainful employment for at least 2000 Ghanaians among several other opportunities and continues to be an advocate for a prosperous and developing Ghana, worth living in. “My ultimate goal is to help establish an entrepreneurial culture in Ghana and my companies in all 10 regions of the country is the evidence.”
After failing to clinch the CPP flag bearership at the beginning of this year, Dr. Nduom broke away from the party he had significantly contributed to and help establish, and founded the newest political party in Ghana, the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) to continue making an impact politically. Nduom is married to Mrs. Yvonne Nduom, a management specialist and graduate of the Cape Coast University in Ghana and the University of Wisconsin. Together they have four children.
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