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Kufuor accepts
new appointments
Accra, Feb. 9, Ghanadot/GNA - Former President John Agyekum
Kufuor has accepted two more international appointments with
the United Nations World Food Programme and the Milan Expo
2015.
This was contained in a joint statement by the Milan City
Council and Alliance for Africa Foundation.
It said the World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director,
Josette Sheeran, on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, Ban
Ki-Moon made this known to the former President in Milan.
It said with the UN, the former President has been offered
to serve as Global Ambassador On Hunger for WFP.
On the Milan Expo 2015, former President Kufuor would serve
on its board with the Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio
Berlusconi, an economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner,
Muhammad Yunus, Mayor of Milan, Madam Letizia Moratti and
others.
These offers, according to the statement, came on the heels
of former President Kufuor’s inauguration as the first
president of the Alliance for Africa, an international
development organisation, which has seed money of $15
million from the Lombardi Regional Government, Milan City
Council and the EXPO 2015.
It seeks to work in the areas of health care services,
education and defence of civil rights and their bearing on
economic development.
In his inaugural address on February 5, to policy makers,
government representatives, members of the diplomatic corps
and financial institutions from Rome and Milan, Mr Kufuor
said international development had got to a stage where
Africa could not be ignored.
Africa’s relations with Europe dated to 500 years ago and
this, he explained, had not always been in Africa’s favour
as it had been the victim of exploitation all the time.
But the new era of globalisation and partnership that Africa
seeks with the advanced countries, especially sharing of
science and technology, would lead to a mutual benefit for
both Africa and the rest of the world if it should be
fulfilled.
This was because Africa was not a poor continent as attested
to by the demand for its natural resources from the rest of
the world.
The Alliance for Africa which would operate its continental
office from Accra, he said, was born out of this spirit of
partnership between Africa and Europe.
The President of the Lombardi Regional Government, Formigoni,
gave a policy position on Africa which was that, with the
formal signing of the Alliance, a statement had been made
that Africa would be vital for this century’s development
and that Europe should use its past relationship with Africa
to be at the forefront of this engagement.
“It is impossible to neglect Africa and we do so at our own
risk.”
The Mayor of Milan, Letizia Moratti, on her part, was happy
to see the launch of the Foundation a year after she first
had discussions with Mr Kufuor.
GNA
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