John Kufuor

John Kufuor GCB
Kufuor in 2008
President of Ghana
In office 7 January 2001 – 7 January 2009
Vice President	Aliu Mahama
Preceded by	Jerry Rawlings
Succeeded by	John Atta Mills
5th Chairperson of the African Union
In office 30 January 2007 – 31 January 2008
Preceded by	Denis Sassou Nguesso
Succeeded by	Jakaya Kikwete
Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya
In office 24 September 1979 – 31 December 1981
In office 1 October 1969 – 13 January 1972
Personal details
Born	John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (1938-12-08) 8 December 1938 (age 85) Kumasi, Colony of the Gold Coast
Political party	New Patriotic Party
Spouse	Theresa Mensah ​ ​ (m. 1962; died 2023)​
Relations	Kwame Addo-Kufuor (brother) J. H. Mensah (brother-in-law)
Children	5
Alma mater	Osei Tutu Boarding School Prempeh College Lincoln's Inn Exeter College, Oxford
Profession	Lawyer Businessman Politician

John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) ^[1] is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009.^[2] He became the Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008 and his victory over John Evans Atta Mills at the end of Jerry Rawlings' second term marked the first transition of power in Ghana from a democratic government to another democratic government.^[3]

Kufuor's career has been spent on the liberal-democratic^[4] side of Ghanaian politics, in the parties descended from the United Gold Coast Convention and the United Party.^[5]

As a lawyer and businessman, he was a minister in Kofi Abrefa Busia's Progress Party government^[6] during Ghana's Second Republic, and a Popular Front Party opposition frontbencher during the Third Republic. In the Fourth Republic Kufuor stood as the New Patriotic Party's candidate at the 1996 election, and then led it to victory in 2000 and 2004. Having served two terms in power, he retired from politics in 2008. He is popularly known as the Gentle Giant.^[7]