Alan Kyerematen

Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen is a Ghanaian politician, diplomat, and trade specialist whose career has spanned the United Nations, the Ghanaian foreign service, two separate stints as Minister of Trade and Industry, and an independent presidential campaign that placed him outside the two-party consensus he had spent decades operating within. Born on 3 October 1955 in Kumasi, he comes from an academically distinguished family: his father, the late Dr. Alexander Atta Yaw Kyerematen, was a social anthropologist. Alan attended Adisadel College and Achimota School before studying at the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Law. He later went to the University of Minnesota as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow, a competitive leadership programme for mid-career public service professionals. His international career began in trade policy at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, where he coordinated the African Trade Policy Centre. He was instrumental in preparing Ghana to host UNCTAD XII, the twelfth ministerial conference of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and introduced the World Investment Forum as a feature of that gathering, an innovation that became a permanent fixture in UNCTAD's calendar. In domestic politics, Kyerematen served as Ghana's Ambassador to the United States from 2001 to 2003, then as Minister of Trade and Industry under President Kufuor. He returned to the trade portfolio from 2017 to 2023 under President Akufo-Addo, championing the One District One Factory initiative and Ghana's role in the African Continental Free Trade Area negotiations, with Accra securing the AfCFTA secretariat. Within the NPP he contested the flagbearer position multiple times without success. After losing the 2023 internal race to Mahamudu Bawumia, he parted ways with the party and launched the Movement for Change, contesting the December 2024 presidential election as an independent. The result reflected the structural barriers facing third-party candidates in Ghana's mature electoral landscape. Kyerematen's significance in Ghanaian public life extends beyond his electoral outcomes. His sustained focus on trade, industrial policy, and economic diversification gave him an intellectual consistency rare in a political career spanning three decades.

Frequently asked questions about Alan Kyerematen

What is Alan Kyerematen known for?

Alan Kyerematen is a Politician, former Minister of Trade and Industry.

What is Alan Kyerematen's nationality?

Alan Kyerematen is Ghanaian.