The founder of the now-defunct UT Bank,Captain (retired) Prince Kofi Amoabeng, has expressed a critical perspective on the legacy of the late Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s first President of the Fourth Republic.
On October 27, 2023, during an interview with the media, Kofi Amoabeng expressed his belief that Rawlings did not make a substantial contribution to Ghana, countering the claims made by others.
Mr Amoabeng emphasized that Rawlings had a significant opportunity to bring about transformation in Ghana but failed to do so. He argued that the most noteworthy achievement of the former president was ushering in the Fourth Republic.
“…when Papa Jay came, what did he do for Ghana? After all the people he killed, what did he do for Ghana?
“He didn’t do anything. What happened to us? But we had some stability, and he gave us the Fourth Republic,” he said.
These remarks from the former UT Bank CEO were made in response to suggestions that Kennedy Agyapong, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, shares similar traits with Jerry John Rawlings and could potentially be a transformative president for Ghana.
Mr Amoabeng rejected the idea that Ghana requires a ‘radical president’ for transformation, highlighting that even with Rawlings in power, substantial change did not materialize.