Nana Otuo Siriboe II, Chairman of the Council of State, has paid glowing tribute to the former President, John Agyekum Kufour, for establishing a Foundation aimed at equipping the country’s younger generation with skills in Leadership, Governance and Development programmes.

The Chairman, who is also the Omanhene of New Juaben traditional area in the Ashanti region, was addressing guests at a Fund Raising Dinner at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

He asserted that very few of such Foundations exist in Africa besides the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and it is right that Ghanaians uphold this initiative to sustain the focus and vision of the former President.

“What our President has done is a clear indication that there is even a better life after Presidency and I have no doubt in my mind that the time is now to lend helping hands” he reiterated.

Chief Executive Officer of The John Agyekum Kufour Foundation, Prof. Baffour Agyeman – Duah, reiterated his commitment to raise GHc 80M(USD15M) to commemorate the eightieth(80th) birthday of former President John Agyekum Kufour, which falls on December 8,2018.

He explained that the target which forms part of its “80 for 80” campaign is intended to sustain the Leadership, Governance and Development Vision of the second President of Ghana.

According to him, the Foundation, which is a purely non-profit-independent institution, was established shortly after the President left office.

“The foundation is currently constructing a $5Million Mentoring Facility at the University of Ghana in Accra, among a number of initiatives in various parts of the country” he stated.

The Foundation is offering scholarships to needy but brilliant students, including the Kufour Scholars Programme, Young Entrepreneurs Network, Annual Lectures, Elections Observer Group and Prize for Best Community Leadership.

According to the CEO, upcoming programmes in the year include, Celebrity Walk, John & Jazz Night, Musical Concert in September, Soccer Match in October, Gala Night in December and Thanksgiving Service.

The Right Hon. Doe Adjaho, former Speaker of Parliament, recalled his engagements with the former President in Parliament.

According to him, the President declared his intention to set up the Foundation with emphasis on Leadership, Governance and Development training in the University of Ghana when the university decorated him with an Honorary Doctorate Degree.

“These indeed are qualities our country is yearning for and we as citizens must appreciate this great gift” he stated.

The former President, John Agyekum Kufour, who commended the guests for their massive attendance at the event, urged the corporate institutions and individuals to continue to donate towards the project to sustain his vision and focus.

Making a case for his vision and focus, the former President regretted that though Africa is endowed with a number of resources, development has become stagnant due to deficiency in good leadership and governance approach.

He was happy that the Foundation is already making huge impacts in the lives of individuals and beneficiary communities.

About Foundation

The John Agyekum Kufour Foundation was established in 2014 soon after the President left office as the second President of the fourth Parliament.

Since its establishment, the Foundation has been supporting students annually in Tertiary institutions under its Kufour Scholars Programme (KSP), Advocating Biodiversity Offsetting Guidelines (ABOG) in Ghana, Borehole projects and The Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI), including hosting Summer Camps at various parts of the country for tertiary students.