{
  "id": 16946191,
  "title": "Kufuor blames vanity and vindictiveness for Ghana’s poor policy continuity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/kufuor-blames-vanity-and-vindictiveness-for-ghanas-poor-policy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T19:24:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/kufuor-blames-vanity-and-vindictiveness-for-ghanas-poor-policy-continuity/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has criticized vanity, vindictiveness, and a lack of foresight among subsequent governments for Ghana's inability to maintain certain socio-economic initiatives implemented by his administration. Speaking with Evans Mensah on JoyNews' PM Express, Kufuor attributed the abandonment of policies and agreements by incoming administrations to missed investment opportunities, institutional development, and long-term national progress.\n\nHe cited the cancellation of an agreement his administration negotiated with Barclays International as evidence of such policy continuity issues. \"We got that agreement with Barclays International after three years of hard work. We opened offices at Airport City. We left office in 2008,\" Kufuor recalled. However, the government that followed his administration canceled the agreement around 2009, reportedly citing money laundering concerns.\n\nKufuor argued that the decision to cancel the agreement might have been taken without fully understanding the reasons behind his administration's partnership. \"Perhaps they didn’t do their homework to understand why we went into that,\" he stated. He believed the agreement could have attracted foreign capital and encouraged financial discipline within the government.\n\nThe former President also pointed to personal ambitions, vindictiveness, and political motivations as reasons for the reversal of decisions made by previous administrations. He emphasized that elected leaders should view their positions as a trust from the electorate and act in the public interest. \"When they trust, they give it to you. They give it to you as a trustee to use it to manage to the betterment of all, inclusively,\" Kufuor warned.\n\nHe criticized leaders who prioritize personal gain over national development, likening such behavior to lordship and the use of lies, vindictiveness, and petty jealousies. Kufuor highlighted the success of the Kufuor Foundation's scholarship program, which selects students based on merit rather than connections. He noted that several scholars from the program have achieved notable accomplishments, suggesting that continued policy continuity could yield positive outcomes for Ghana.",
  "summary": "Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has blamed vanity, vindictiveness and a lack of vision among successive governments for Ghana’s failure to sustain some of the socio-economic initiatives introduced by previous administrations. He said the tendency of incoming governments to abandon policies and agreements initiated by their predecessors had undermined opportunities for investment,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}