Akufo-Addo leads tributes to mark Kofi Annan’s one year anniversary
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has led tributes to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Ghana’s celebrated diplomat, Kofi Annan.
Sunday, August 18, was exactly one year of the death of Kofi Annan, Nobel Peace
Prize laureate and Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), between 1997 and 2006.
President Akufo-Addo described him as an eminent Ghanaian, who deserved to be acknowledged and celebrated.
This was in a pre-recorded message ahead of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) to be held in Accra from September 3-6.
The AGRF is a platform for global and African leaders to develop actionable plans that will move African agriculture forward.
“Grow Digital: Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa”, is the theme chosen for this year’s event.
Eight (8) Heads of States, 30 Ministers of Agriculture and other sectors, would join about 1,200 participants from across the world at the conference, which is shaping up to be the biggest ever.
President Akufo-Addo said it was an opportunity to commemorate the life of the late Kofi Annan, the man who inspired the idea of founding the Conference.
It was an occasion for the country to acknowledge and to celebrate him, he added.
The Accra AGRF is also an opportunity for the government to highlight the importance it is giving to agriculture mechanization.
Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, in another pre-recorded message, said of the late Kofi Annan: “He was a one of the heroes of our generation”.
He added that the conference was going to be a “bittersweet moment” to celebrate “a special person – a great living legend, our living legend, who inspired our generation in this region”.
The conference comes amid the introduction of some major interventions by the government including its flagship “Planting for Food and Jobs”, to boost agricultural productivity.
The AGRF is considered the world’s most important and impactful forum for African agriculture, pulling together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward.
First established in 2010, following a three-year series of African Green Revolution Conferences (AGRC) held in Oslo, Norway from 2006-2008, the AGRF has emerged as Africa’s leading “platform of agriculture platforms” that brings together a range of critical stakeholders in the African agriculture landscape to discuss and commit to programs, investments, and policies that can counter the major challenges affecting the agriculture sector on the continent.
The first AGRF was held in Ghana in 2010 and the late Kofi Annan was the Founding Chairman.
Source: GNA