In a move aimed at shaking up Ghana’s political landscape, independent presidential candidate-hopeful, Alan Kyerematen, has forged a strategic alliance with the National Interest Movement (NIM), led by a former Convention People’s Party (CPP) flagbearer, Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster.
This transformative collaboration dubbed the Alliance for Revolutionary Change (ARC), heralds a bold endeavor to rally Ghanaians from all walks of life behind the quest to elect what could be the nation’s first independent president.
As the curtain rises on this political spectacle, GhanaWeb.com places the focus on who Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster is, and what he brings to the political playing field.
Profile of Dr. Abu Sakara
Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster is a former presidential candidate for the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the Chairman of the National Interest Movement (NIM) Ghana.
He was born at Damongo in the Savannah Region (formerly Northern Region) on August 15, 1958.
He began school at the Kpembe Primary School, East Gonja, at age six, and then moved to Sawla Primary School for a short period.
Thereafter, he came back to school in Salaga until 1966, after which he was sent to study and live with a friend of his father, Mr and Mrs Foster, who were evangelical missionaries. He entered Yendi Secondary School as a pioneer in 1972.
Under the stewardship of his family, he later went to study in the United Kingdom (UK) where he obtained his first degree in soil science from the University of Reading in 1982.
Foster obtained his MSc. in Applied Plant Sciences from Wye College, University of London, in 1984, and received his PhD in Applied Agricultural Botany from the University of Reading in 1987.
Abu Sakara’s current and past efforts are firmly rooted in the belief that Ghana’s democracy will benefit from a process that depolarizes the political landscape to produce a more mature constructive opposition that emerges an alternative third force in government.
Dr. Sakara has supported parliamentarians in four constituencies in northern Ghana since 1996 and participated in two election campaigns.
Dr. Sakara contested in the 2007 congress and won the position as the First National Vice Chairperson of the CPP.
He considers it a privilege that it is his generation’s turn to take on the mantle of responsibility to move the vision of the founding fathers from political liberation to achieving economic emancipation.
Dr. Sakara’s experience includes technical, managerial and policy roles over a twenty five year career, with postings to Central America (Mexico), Southern Africa (Zambia), Eastern Africa (Tanzania, Uganda) and West Africa (Nigeria).
He has also visited more than 30 countries on the five continents of the world in his professional capacity on a range of projects and programs.
Dr. Sakara speaks six languages. He is fluent in Gonja, Hausa and Swahili, and conversant with Twi. His working languages are English and Spanish.
He is a family man, married to Mary-Lily Kafela (MBA), an economist and business administrator.
They have four children.
Dr. Sakara, in 2008, was running mate to Dr. Paa Kwasi Nduom on the ticket of the CPP.
Having so much love for the nation and great belief in Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s ideals, Dr. Abu Sakara contested and won the bid to represent the CPP in the December 2012 general elections.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
