Today, he is known as the 2nd biggest personality in Britain, having secured the enviable position as UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister).
What you may not know is details about his family and his roots.
Kwasi Kwarteng who is British-born has his roots from the Eastern Region of Ghana.
This was revealed by renowned journalist, Cameron Duodu, in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb.
Revealing details about where Kwasi’s father, also called Kwasi Kwateng hails from, the renowned journalist told GhanaWeb that Kwasi Kwarteng’s father hails from Kwabeng, a small town in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
According to him, the new UK Finance Minister’s father was born at Kwabeng in Akyem Abuakwa.
“His father was born at Kwabeng in Akyem Abuakwa in the Eastern Region. Its only 15 minutes away from where I was born – Asiakwa,” he said.
Mr. Duodu further noted that Mr. Kwarteng rose to prominence as a result of the investments of his father in his education.
According to him, his father’s investments ensured him a place in some of the biggest schools in the United Kingdom.
“His father was very keen to educate him when he came to England. His father himself was educated at Adisadel College – CapeCoast and he also went to the University of Ghana. He then left to go to do a postgraduate at the London School of Economics and whilst he was there, he was employed by the Commonwealth Secretariat.
“It is very expensive to educate a child in England if you don’t want him to go to the state schools so it is expected that his father made a lot of sacrifices financially to be able to take his children to the level that his child is now,” he further noted.
Background:
British-born Ghanaian, Kwasi Kwarteng, was named as the new UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (i.e. Finance Minister) yesterday September 6 by new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, in a historical feat.
This is because he is the first Black to ascend to the position which is regarded as only second to the Prime Minister’s office in UK political circles.
His appointment has in effect made him the second most powerful political figure in the UK.
This piece takes a deeper look at the profile of the close ally of the new PM.
Kwarteng was born Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng in Waltham Forest, East London, in May 1975 to Ghanaian parents, Alfred and Charlotte, who had both immigrated to the United Kingdom a decade earlier as students.
His parents, who went on to become an international economist and a barrister respectively, sent him to an expensive private prep school that produced numerous Cabinet-level politicians. He then attended the famous Eton college — a production line for British leaders including Boris Johnson and David Cameron.
Growing up, Kwasi Kwarteng was a child prodigy sweeping a number of prestigious awards and also displaying his high mental acumen.
“An only child, Mr. Kwarteng started off in a state primary, but at the age of eight, he was sent by his parents to attend the independent prep school Colet Court.
“He was a high achiever, being awarded the Harrow History Prize in 1988 – a prize George Orwell once missed out on – and soon he headed to Eton College as a King’s Scholar, meaning he was awarded a scholarship due to his impressive exam results.
“Mr. Kwarteng’s academic prowess grew, winning Eton’s prestigious Newcastle Scholarship – the best performer in a week-long set of written exams – and his next step was Cambridge, after an interview of course,” the UK Sky News portal reports.
Kwasi Kwarteng’s official website details that he studied Classics and History at Cambridge University, and then attended Harvard University on a Kennedy Scholarship. He returned to complete a PhD in Economic History at Cambridge in 2000.
The BBC reports that Kwasi Kwarteng worked as a columnist for the Daily Telegraph and a financial analyst at banks including JP Morgan in the City of London but later got involved in Conservative politics as chairman of the Bow Group think tank.
He tried entering mainstream politics but was unsuccessful till 2010 when he had his breakthrough to be elected as MP for Spelthorne.
“He made his first attempt to become an MP in 2005. He stood as the Conservative candidate for Brent East at the general election, but came third. There was also an unsuccessful run for the London Assembly in 2008.
“However, he became part of the “class of 2010”, a cohort of politicians entering Westminster for the first time that year. He was elected as MP for Spelthorne in Surrey and entered Parliament the same time as future colleagues Liz Truss, Priti Patel and Sajid Javid,” BBC reports.
