Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has described the death of former Finance Minister, Professor Kwesi Botchwey, as a great loss to the nation.
Ghana’s longest-serving Finance Minister died on November 19, 2022, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was seeking medical care.
Prof. Botchwey was 80 years old.
Reading a tribute at the burial service of the late Prof. Botchwey, the former Senior Minister said the late Finance Minister contributed immensely to the growth of Ghana’s economy.
“As someone with in-depth knowledge of economics, he contributed immensely to Ghana’s economy. He was the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning from 1982 to 1995 which makes him the longest-serving Finance Minister of Ghana. In the 13 years, he was minister, he helped Ghana attain stability and become one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa.
“He was the Board Chairman for Heritage bank Ghana. He also served as Advisor to the World Bank on the 1997 World Development Report Member and Chairman of IMF’s Group of Independent Experts who conducted the first-ever external evaluation of the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility. It is notable that he served as an advisor to the UNDP’s UN Special Initiative on Africa and also an advisor to the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM).”
“Prof. Kwesi Botchwey was a blessing to the nation Ghana, to Africa, and to the world at large, he played a major role in enhancing the economy of Ghana and Africa. His death is a very big loss to us.”
Prof. Botchwey was appointed by the late Jerry John Rawlings to assist in stabilising Ghana’s collapsed economy from 1982 to 1993.
He continued as Finance Minister from January 7, 1993, when Ghana returned to democratic governance and served till 1995 before his then deputy, Kwame Peprah took over from him.
The former government official was a Professor of Practice in Development Economics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University.
He received his secondary school education at the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School in Ghana.
Prof Botchwey held an LL.B. from the University of Ghana, LL.M from Yale Law School, and a doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.
He taught at the University of Zambia, the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and the University of Ghana.
He was on September 3, 1944, and was a member of the Council of Elders of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).