The late Professor Kwesi Botchwey was a devoted, honorable, and renowned citizen, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who also stated that his loss left the country in a worse position.
The President claims that they were classmates at the University of Ghana in the 1960s and that their friendship was cultivated by their shared passion in public life.
Therefore, he claimed, he found it simple to converse with Prof. Botchwey up until his passing.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking when Prof. Botchwey’s family called on him at the Presidency in Accra to officially inform him about his death, which occurred in Accra on Saturday, November 19, 2022.
In addition to serving as Minister of Finance and Economic Planning from 1993 to 1995, Prof. Botchwey served as the PNDC’s Secretary of Finance from 1982 to 1993.
Major K. Donkor, who presides over the delegation, is joined by his son, Prof. Edward Kwesi Botchwey, who teaches at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States, and daughter, Nana Ama Botchwey.
The President claimed that he and Prof. Botchwey formerly shared a wall while residing in Labone, Accra. He continued, “People would question why I speak this way about someone who is a political opponent.”
“In my opinion, this shouldn’t put enemies and individuals who have given their all to the country apart.
“All parties have to contribute to the development of the nation. He said, perhaps referring to the Provisional National Defence Council, “We only have an issue when it came from one way (PNDC).
The President added that even though Prof. Botchwey rose to prominence in politics at a trying time, he did so with dignity and diligence.
He continued, “I think the nation’s outpouring of grief today is a good testament of how the people respect his commitment to the development of our nation.
Soon after learning of Prof. Botchwey’s passing, President Akufo-Addo paid tribute to him on Facebook, writing: “The death of my good friend Dr. Kwesi Botchwey is a very sad development.
Dr. Botchwey, who was a long-time public servant and my classmate at the University of Ghana in Legon in the middle of the 1960s, “fulfilled his duties intelligently and with dignity and became the nation’s longest-serving Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.”
He stated that Prof. Botchwey’s partner, kids, and family were in his and his wife Rebecca’s thoughts and prayers.
“I offer them, as well as the National Democratic Congress, a group he was a prominent and well-respected member of, my sincere sympathies. The President posted on his wall, “Ghana has lost a lovely guy and exceptional public worker.
Although the bereaved family has held a preliminary meeting to discuss the last rites for the economist, lecturer, and politician, no plans have yet been made public.
Following the family’s meeting with the President, it was also unclear whether the PRESEC, University of Ghana, and Yale and Michigan trained lawyer and economist would get a state funeral.