Interview, Fireside Chat
John Kufuor, Former President of the Republic of Ghana: Talks at GS Session Highlights
- The private sector is projected to enter a "golden age of business" supported by government market initiatives.
- The country is expected to reach the completion point of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative within two years.
- Currency valuation is forecast to stabilize from a previous range of $1,000 to $10,000 per dollar to a parity of $1 to $1 over a four to five year timeframe.
- Cocoa output aims to double from 350,000 tons to over 700,000 tons by 2004.
- The nation targets achieving the UN Millennium Development goal of halving hunger and poverty by 2007, at which point it is also expected to be classified as middle income.
- Regional comparisons highlight Morocco as a model of stability and economic development, while Cote d'Ivoire is anticipated to recover rapidly post-conflict.
- The African Union plans to facilitate a partnership enabling Africa to integrate into the mainstream of globalization through mutual respect and market adoption.
- African economies are projected to align globally with the rest of the world contingent on implementing the Union's prescribed governance and market systems.
- Political transitions via ballot box are increasingly expected, though the electoral system is acknowledged as imperfect.
- Significant optimism characterizes Africa's trajectory since the start of the century, contrasted with fears that a lack of a safety valve could hinder governance peace within a four-year term.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to pacify tensions and enable effective governance, with expectations that it will prove cathartic and conclude successfully by the speaker (Kufuor).