John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, a former president of Ghana, has been named a global ambassador against hunger for the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP), Xinhua reports. According to the news service, Kufuor will "help to underline the importance of fighting hunger on several fronts - by investing in long-term agricultural development, but also by funding WFP's work in tackling urgent hunger needs and helping the hungry poor to access affordable and nutritious food" (Ooko, 7/20).
A WFP statement said that Kufuor - president of Ghana from 2001 to 2008 and president of the African Union from 2007 to 2008 - "will concentrate his efforts on raising awareness of the need to provide good nutrition for children in school," AFP/Google.com reports. "Ensuring that every child has proper nutrition has to be the goal of every world leader," Kufuor said, adding, "I hope to inspire them all to strive for this goal" (7/20).WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said with the number of hungry people in the world expected to top one billion this year, Kufuor is bringing "critical support" to the WFP, Xinhua writes. Sheeran said, "Ghana is a leader in nourishing its children and Ambassador Kufuor can be a leader in getting others to follow his good work" (7/20).
The WFP release includes information about WFP school meal programs (7/20).
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