Hackman Owusu Agyeman - The Action Man

Hackman Owusu Agyemang is one of the candidates vying for nomination for the primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr. Owusu Agyemang is presently a Member of Parliament for the New Juaben North Constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Born on November 22, 1941 he is the second of eight children born to Opanin Osei Agyemang, a goldsmith and Eno Ama Ataah a trader. Hackman, as he is popularly called, is a family man married for over 40 years to Comfort Owusu Agyemang (Nee Okyere), and the couple has been blessed with five children. Mr. Owusu Agyemang is a religious man and belongs to the Effiduase Catholic Church and Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Mr. Owusu Agyemang received his high school education from St Augustine?s College in Cape Coast. The impact of a boarding school environment was a catalyst to his action-oriented persona, as it gave him the opportunity to join several socio cultural and educational clubs. His interest in the UN stemmed from one such club, the ALLS, a literary society dedicated to promoting debate and current international affairs. He represented the Club in a number of inter-schools mock UN General Assembly Sessions.

After completing the ?A?- level examinations, Hackman was accepted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi in 1961 to read Agriculture. He became an active student leader serving in such positions as president of Independence Hall, president of the Ghana United Nations Students Association (GUNSA) and president of the West Africa Confederation of United Nations Students Association (WACUNSA).

Owusu Agyemang obtained his BSc. (Hons.) in Agriculture in 1965 and joined the Ministry of Agriculture in Ghana as an Assistant Agricultural Economist. While at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Owusu Agyemang was awarded a fellowship to pursue a certification program in Agricultural Planning at the Institute of Social Studies, in The Hague, Netherlands. He was later appointed the Eastern Regional Agricultural Economist where he worked closely with international financial institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank.

In 1968, Mr. Owusu Agyemang was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master?s degree program in Agriculture Economics at the University of London. In 1970, Hackman joined the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at its head office in Rome, Italy. Mr. Owusu Agyemang quickly rose through the ranks, and from 1974 to 1977, his responsibilities included the appraisal and monitoring of FAO projects in Anglophone African countries. In 1977, he was appointed as the Africa Regional Co-operation Liaison Officer for the African Office of the FAO. In this capacity he worked at the regional level with the OAU (now AU), ECA and other regional agricultural entities. As the liaison officer he served as secretary to the FAO/UN Regional Conference of African Ministers of Agriculture held in Arusha, Tanzania in 1987. The success of the conference impacted his appointment as a Special Envoy to the Director-General of the FAO. In this leadership role, he opened FAO satellite stations in Ghana, Liberia, Gambia, and others. He was then appointed as the FAO Representative Chief of Mission in Zambia. He also served as a liaison for the sub-regional organizations like the East African Economic Community, and liberation movements such as the African National Congress (ANC), the South West African Peoples? Organization (SWAPO), and the Zimbabwe-African Nationalist Union (ZANU), and the Patriotic Front (PF). In 1984, in his capacity as FAO Representative, Mr. Owusu Agyemang was posted to Trinidad and Tobago with concurrent accreditation to Guyana and Surinam. He became the first African to occupy such a position outside the African continent. In his third year in the Caribbean, he was recalled to Rome to become the Chief of the FAO?s Regional Bureau for Africa. His duties included monitoring and coordinating programs in 43 African countries, and advising senior FAO management on African matters.

PARTY MAN & POLITICIAN

In 1991, when the PNDC government loosened its grip on political power in Ghana, Hackman Owusu Agyemang became one of the promoters of the Danquah-Busia Club, which later transformed into the New Patriotic Party (NPP). When the ban on party politics was lifted in July of 1992, he became the national treasurer of the NPP and a member of the National Executive Committee of the National Council. In addition, he was a member of the Finance, Organization and Agricultural Sector committees. In 1992, Hackman was elected to parliament representing the New Juaben Constituency as an NPP candidate. In the second Parliament (1997-2001), he served as a Ranking Member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, member of the Public Accounts Committee, the Committee on Food and Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs.

In 2001, when the NPP was elected into power, Hackman Owusu Agyemang was appointed the first Foreign Minister. During his tenure as foreign minister, he re-oriented officers of the Ministry to focus on economic diplomacy rather than on ?champagne diplomacy? with emphasis on attracting foreign investments and trade to Ghana. To this end, he recruited about forty young and qualified foreign affairs officers with MBA degree, and charged them to concentrate among other things, on bringing foreign investments and trade to Ghana. These recruits were referred to in some circles as ?Hackman babies.? He also initiated steps to decentralize and streamline the passport office operations. Hackman also promoted the appointment of career officers as Ambassadors to complement political appointees.

Hackman Owusu Agyemang and his team of experts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs laid the groundwork for Ghana?s foreign diplomacy and policy that led the country to the limelight and made President Kuffour a toast of world leaders.

During the 2003 cabinet reshuffle, Owusu Agyemang became the Minister of Interior in charge of Internal Security that included the Police, Prison, Fire and Immigration Services. During his tenure, Hackman provided the needed resources to the various units. Particularly, he increased the Ghana Police Service from 12,000 to 18,000 personnel and increased its vehicle fleet to promote law and order, and to combat armed robbery. In addition, he provided pick up vehicles for the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO). Owusu Agyemang was also able to bring the two disputing parties of the Dagbon conflict to the table in an attempt to resolve the volatile situation in the Northern Region which could have easily led to a civil war.

Hackman Owusu Agyemang was later re-assigned as Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing to stem the acute housing and water shortages that became a major concern to the government. Within two years at the helm of affairs, over 4400 boreholes were sunk countrywide. He also implemented 61 water projects in small towns to provide water for the people, particularly in the rural areas. He completed urban water project at Kwanyaku and initiated the Barfikrom near Mankessim, the Barekese Headwork, and the Koforidua water projects. The Cape Coast water project is almost completed while the Tamale project is 40% completed. In addition, he embarked on rural water projects in three districts: Dangbe East, Dangbe West in the Greater Accra Region and North Tongu in the Volta Region. Together these projects would provide water supply to some 180 communities.

He also dredged the Benya lagoon at Elmina to pave way for a fishing harbor. Similarly, the Brimsu River near Cape Coast is being dredged to add to the water supply system to Cape Coast and the surrounding townships. The Densu River at Nsawam was also dredged, and for the first time in many years the residents of Nsawam who live on the banks of the Densu River have not been inundated by floods. Drawing from his ingenuity, the sand that was dredged from the Densu River was utilized in the Kpome and Borteyman affordable housing projects. Similarly, within the two years at the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hackman Owusu Agyemang initiated over 4500 housing projects countrywide for low to middle income working Ghanaians. These included:

the Borteyman complex near Accra with 736 one bedroom and 672 two bedroom units, the Kpome complex near Tema with 600 one bedroom and 872 two bedroom units, the Tamale complex with 200 one bedroom and 80 two bedroom units, the Wa complex with 100 two bedroom units, the Asokore Mampong complex with 360 one bedroom and 640 two bedroom units, and the Koforidua complex with 380 two bedroom units. His dedication to the party is further enhanced by his contribution of his property as the NPP?s club house.

BUSINESSMAN AND A BENEVOLENT

Upon his return from the FAO, Hackman Owusu Agyemang established the East Legon Pharmacy Limited. His Healthcare Company is also the representative of Procter and Gamble, a global business enterprise. He also established Sikelele, a limited company that specializes in sales of hardware, paints, and building materials.

Mr. Owusu Agyemang has set up the Hackman Foundation to support the youth in his constituency to embark on income generation projects such as poultry production, snail farming, dress making and tailoring, amongst others. Hackman Owusu Agyemang has donated his salaries as an MP to the Hackman Foundation. With the Foundation and private donations, Mr. Owusu Agyemang continues to provide employment to improve the quality of life for his constituency. Together with his family, he has established a huge garment industry in his constituent base at Effiduase. The factory which is expected to be fully operational at the end of September, 2007, would employ about 1,400 people.

By Friends of Hackman, New York/New Jersey Culled in parts from ENA Publicati