Kwesi Botchwey (13 September 1942 – 19 November 2022) was a Ghanaian government official and Professor of Practice in Development Economics at
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...
of
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learnin ...
.
Botchwey was
Minister for Finance and Economic Planning
The Minister for Finance and Economic Planning is the Ghanaian government official responsible for the Ministry of Finance of Ghana. The Minister for Finance since January 2017 has been Ken Ofori-Atta, co-founder and former Chairman of the Databan ...
from 1982 to 1995. He was appointed by
Jerry Rawlings
Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...
to assist in stabilizing Ghana's collapsed economy.
Education
Botchwey received his secondary school education at the
Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School
, country = Ghana
, region = Greater-Accra
, location = Legon
, coordinates =
, type = Public high school
, religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church ...
and attended
St. Augustine's College. Botchwey held an
LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from the
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities.
The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the B ...
, a
LL.M
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
, and a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...
from the
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MC ...
. He taught at the
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...
, the
University of Dar es Salaam
The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1 ...
(
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
) and the University of Ghana.
Other notable previous assignments
* Advisor to the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
on the 1997 World Development Report
* Member and Chairman of
IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...
's Group of Independent Experts who conducted the first ever external evaluation of the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility
* Advisor to the
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human de ...
's UN Special Initiative on Africa
* Advisor to the
European Centre for Development Policy Management
The European Centre for Development Policy Management, more commonly known as ECDPM, is a think tank founded in 1986. It is headquartered in Maastricht, Netherlands and has a second office in Brussels, Belgium.
ECDPM researches Europe-Africa r ...
(ECDPM)
Publications
*''Transforming the Periphery: A study of the struggle of social forces in Ghana for democracy and national sovereignty'', United Nations, 1981 (; ISSN 0379-5772), DSDRSCA-83/UNUO-309
*"Obstacles to Centralized Reform: An African Perspective" in Laura Wallace (ed.), ''Deepening Structural Reform in Africa, Lessons from East Asia'', Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund, 1996.
*''Implementing Debt Relief for the HIPCs'' (co-author), Center for International Development, Harvard (1999).
*"Whither the Partnership Agenda in Development Cooperation: A Country perspective", 4th Conference on Evaluation and Development, World Bank (2001)
*"The New Partnership for Africa's Economic Development: Internal and External Visions", NEPAD: Internal and External Visions and Influences (2003)
Later and past projects
:Member and Convener Team of academics from
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
, and the
Free University of Amsterdam
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...
that conducted and has finished the first External evaluation at the request of the Executive Board of the IMF, of the Fund's
Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility The Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) was a program of financial assistance given to poor countries from December 1987 through 1999 through the International Monetary Fund. It replaced the Structural Adjustment Facility (SAF) and was ...
(ESAF)
:Member Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons for the Facilitation of the Signing of the Uruguay Round of Gatt Negotiations.
:Member
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...
group of high-level experts for the review of the OECD study on "Globalization and Linkages to 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for OECD countries (1996).
:Member Commonwealth Expert Group on Good Governance and the Elimination of Corruption in Economic Management
:Member Panel of High Level Personalities on African Development – an advisory group established to assist the UN Secretary-General in advocating greater support for African development and in coordinating the UN system's activities in the region.
:Board Chairman for Heritage bank Ghana.
Papers and speeches given at conferences
*"HIV/AIDS and Economic Development in Africa", Theme Paper, African Development Forum, Economic Commission For Africa, December 2000.
*"Magnitude and Drivers of the Brain Drain in Africa", Keynote Address at the 1999 Africa Business Conference, Harvard University, 30 January 1999.
*"Growth and Poverty Alleviation in Africa", ODC Conference on African Economic Recovery, 1996.
*"Deepening Structural Adjustment Reforms and Policies for Growth in Africa", May 1996.
*"Growth and Poverty Alleviation", ODC Conference on African Economic Recovery, 11–12 June 1996.
*"Globalization: What has it meant for Africa and what does the future portend?" Presented at the Seminar on International Solidarity and Globalization: In Search of New Strategies, Stockholm, 1997.
*"The Role of the State, the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury Secretary in the context of Economic Liberalization and Globalization", Abidjan, June 1998.
*"The Politics of Administrative Reform", World Bank, June 1998.
*"Mobilizing capital flows in support of accelerated African development - the role of capital markets", Washington, DC, July 1998.
Death
Botchwey died at the
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is a public teaching hospital located in the Ablekuma South Metropolitan District in Accra, Ghana. It is the only public tertiary hospital in the southern part of the country. It is a teaching hospital affiliat ...
on 19 November 2022, at the age of 78.
References
#Jeffrey, Peter Nee
"Is Dr Kwesi Botchwey the man to lead Ghana in 2008?"GhanaWeb, 18 December 2004
Faculty Profile of Dr Kwesi Botchweyat The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botchwey, Kwesi
1944 births
2022 deaths
Finance ministers of Ghana
Ghanaian economists
Harvard University faculty
Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School alumni
University of Ghana alumni
Academic staff of the University of Ghana
University of Michigan Law School alumni
Academic staff of the University of Zambia
Yale Law School alumni