Biography

Born in Kumasi on October 3, 1955, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen was a child prodigy.

He attended Adisadel College at age nine, much younger than most of his classmates, and, then, to Achimota School for Sixth Form. He continued his education at the University of Ghana (Legon) and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and then to Ghana Law School for his LLB. Overseas education came calling with Alan winning a Hubert Humphrey Fellowship and a Fullbright Scholarship for graduate studies at the University of Minnesota Business School.

Alan’s parents were Alexander Atta Yaw Kyerematen (AAYK), a social anthropologist from Patasse, Kumasi and Victoria Kyerematen (née Welsing) from Elmina and Ejisu. AAYK served as the Commissioner for Local government in the National Liberation Council regime.

He was the founder and first director of the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi and was the Mayor of Kumasi from 1966-1969.

Alan is married to Patricia Christabel Kyerematen, daughter of Justice Kingsley Nyinah. They have two children, Alexander and Victor.

The Man to Unite and Lead Ghana with Integrity

Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen is prepared and ready to lead M4C and Ghana to a new and greater future. He has experience in business, party politics, governance, and global alliances. Alan was the longest-serving Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry in two NPP administrations.

He has functioned as the Chief Executive of numerous model international enterprises. He has distinguished himself as Ghana’s Ambassador to the USA and was been the sole African Union-backed candidate for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization. Time Magazine listed Alan as one of 100 global leaders in 1994, a list that included the likes of Bill Gates and John F. Kennedy Jr.

Party Politics

A Founding Member of Ghana’s ruling NPP, Alan has served on the NPP’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive, under four Chairmen, J. DaRocha, Peter Ala Adjetey, Samuel Odoi-Sykes and Haruna Esseku. Alan is a founding member of the Young Executives Forum which brought professionals and the middle class into the NPP.

International Trade

Alan distinguished himself as Ghana’s longest-serving Minister of Trade and Industry over two NPP administrations, Kufuor (2001-2008) and Akufo-Addo (2017 – present). President Kufuor added the additional responsibilities of President’s Special Initiatives (PSI) with additional responsibility for Private Sector Development (PSD). Affectionately called “Alan Cash” (“Jobs For The People – Cash For The People”) for his vision of seeing the power of politics as a strategic means of creating JOBS – “putting cash in pockets of Workers”. the Honourable Minister’s accomplishments include:

1. A modern industrial starch factory, creating some 10,000 jobs.
2. Conversion the Tema Free Zone into several single-purpose industrial parks focusing on production of exportable items such as garments, and furniture.

Foreign Affairs

Alan served for almost two years as Ghana’s Ambassador to the USA in the Kufuor administration. In this position, Ambassador Kyerematen launched the Ghana Skills Bank aimed at compiling a directory of, and, directing accomplished Ghanaians to be more engaged with their country. In Washington DC, the Ambassador set up the US-Ghana Economic Advisory Council to focus on investment and trade promotion to create jobs in Ghana.

Private Sector & International Business

Before becoming a full-time politician, Alan served for nearly thirty years in the private and public sectors, distinguishing himself in management and innovation. His notable accomplishments in these areas have included:

• Manager at Unilever International in Ghana, at age 24.
• Principal Consultant and head of Public Systems Management with one of the leading management development institutions in Ghana, the Management Development and Productivity Institute.
• First Chief Executive of the first Africa-based EMPRETEC (Emprededores Entrepreneurs) and Tecnologia (Technology), Established by the UN Conference on Trade & Development, EMPRETEC was an Africa-wide, flagship initiative for the development and promotion of small and medium enterprises. Alan established enterprise support institutions and programs in 13 Sub-Saharan African countries. More than 4,000 African entrepreneurs and small businesses benefited from these initiatives.