US, Japan partner to improve child nutrition in Ghana
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ajinomoto Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate efforts to increase the nutritional well-being of children in Ghana during their weaning period.
The MoU was signed in Accra May 30, 2012, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Accra.
“This first partnership between Ajinomoto, JICA, and USAID will utilize their combined expertise and will serve as a platform on which to build future public-private sector activities across numerous stakeholders on nutrition in Ghana,” the statement said.
The statement highlighted three core components of the MoU.
– Ajinomoto in collaboration with a local food company and the University of Ghana will produce samples of “Koko Plus,” a soybean-based nutritional supplement. “Koko Plus” is fortified with vitamins and an essential amino acid (Lysine), which increases the body’s ability to better absorb nutrients from food, and is added to’ koko’, a traditional porridge made of fermented corn. Ajinomoto will provide funding to test a public sector distribution model and evaluate its effectiveness in improving the nutritional status of children.
– USAID will provide funding and technical expertise to implement a private sector approach to distribution of ‘Koko Plus’. USAID will also spearhead efforts to evaluate the model and expertise to conduct a study to establish a distribution model for promoting and increasing the usage of the nutritional supplement.
– JICA will provide on-going assistance to develop a business model and a business plan for Ajinomoto’s nutritional supplements in Ghana through the Preparatory Survey for Base of the Pyramid (BoP) Business Promotion (from March 2011 to March 2014).
It will be the first time a Japanese company (Ajinomoto) will work collaboratively under a Global Development Alliance (GDA) scheme with USAID, it said.
By Ekow Quandzie