Dan Botwe
Daniel Kwaku Botwe is a Ghanaian politician. He was the Member of Parliament of Okere constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He served as Minister for Information and National Orientation in the John Agyekum Kufour administration and also served as the Minister for Regional Reorganization and Development and the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development in the Nana Akufo-Addo first and second term of office respectively.
Early life and education
Dan Kwaku Botwe was born on February 26, 1958, in Abiriw-Akuapem, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He hails from Abiriw Akuapem He was enrolled at the Presbyterian Primary and Middle Schools at Mabang in the Ahafo-Ano District of the Ashanti Region for his basic education. He obtained his GCE Ordinary level certificate at Kumasi Academy and his GCE Advanced level certificate in 1977 from Achimota School. He gained admission into the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science.Working life
In 1985, Dan Botwe was employed by the Ghana Cocobod as a computer analyst. He worked there until 1993 when he entered private business. He was appointed director of Danmaud Limited, a private company in Accra.Political life
While at KNUST, he was elected as the national secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students from 1982 to 1983. His election coincided with the beginning of the military rule led by the Provisional National Defence Council. His activism and criticism of the ruling elite resulted in him being targeted as a troublemaker. He was sentenced to exile with other Ghanaians to the Ivory Coast. He later returned to Ghana and worked as a computer analyst at the Ghana cocoa board from 1985 to 1993 before moving into a private business.Botwe contested and won the New Patriotic Party General Secretary election in 1998. He was instrumental in the election of John Kufour as President of Ghana in the 2000 general election. He served in other various capacities in the party, including the National Treasurer of the Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party, and Director of Operations and Research at the National Headquarters. He has been described by President Akufo-Addo as "a heavy hitter, a political weight", for his achievement in taking the New Patriotic Party out of the opposition and into the government in 2001. Currently, he has been appointed as the National Campaign Chairman for Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s campaign team.
Member of Parliament
Dan Botwe contested the parliamentary election in Okere in 2008 after the incumbent, Brandford Kwame Daniel Adu, had decided to step down as the constituency's parliamentarian. Dan Botwe obtained 11,974 votes out of the 19,684 total votes cast, representing 60.8% of the vote, to become the new member of parliament. He went on to win successive parliamentary elections in 2012, 2016 and 2020.He was the minority chief whip in the 6th Parliament from 2013 to 2017. As MP he has contributed to the total development of his constituency in several ways. He promised his support for Dreams FC, a Ghana Premier League team that plays their home game at Dawu, a town in his constituency.