Former President John Kufuor
THE JOHN Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Millennium Promise Alliance Inc.
The purpose of the MoU, Daily Guide gathered, is to build on the comparative strengths of both the Millennium Promise Alliance and the JAK Foundation to work towards collaboration with the parties that will promote food and nutrition, reduce hunger and contribute to meeting the SDGs.
The MoU signed at the residence of ex-President Kufuor on Sunday in Accra provides a framework for collaboration which will aim at reducing malnutrition in all its forms and advance sustainable and agricultural systems.
Both organizations agreed to foster collaboration with schools and communities in the project districts in Ghana for the planting of fruit trees and promotion of backyard gardening to contribute to reducing global warming and the consumption of fruits in schools.
They also agreed to forge partnership with the School Feeding Programme and the Ghana Education Service (GES) for advocacy towards the provision of nutrient-rich foods for pupils as well as organize nutrition education and food demonstrations in communities and schools in partnership with the School Health Education Program (SHEP) of GES.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor signed on behalf of his Foundation while Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Board Chair of Millennium Promise Alliance signed on behalf of his organization.
Both leaders during the signing ceremony expressed the strong conviction that the partnership between their organizations shall inject innovation into the school feeding programme in Ghana, facilitate multi-sectoral actions to advance nutrition, introduce climate-smart agriculture and advance sustainable food systems.
Both organizations consider the partnership as timely as it comes at a time Mr. Kufuor has been nominated as a Global Ambassador against hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
In a brief statement at the signing ceremony, Mr. Kufuor observed the need for the promotion of ICT education in Ghana and across the African sub-region.
“We need prompt partners to leapfrog into the rapidly advancing world of technology,” Mr Kufuor said, noting that the African continent has been left behind so far in the technological world.
He said the partnership will help the JAK Foundation and Millennium Promise Alliance Inc. nurture the youth to become agents of transformation for technology in Ghana and the world beyond.
Meanwhile, Prof. Sachs disclosed that as part of the partnership, the JAK Foundation and his organization shall host a global leadership conference for the youth in Accra this year where young leaders from around the world will share ideas with their colleagues.
BY Melvin Tarlue