A statement signed by Mr Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson of former
President Kufuor, said thousands of party supporters sang and chanted
praises, showing the party’s appreciation to him for winning the 2011
World Food Prize.
The co-winner is former Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva.
The two laureates will receive their awards in October in the US.
In a brief interaction with the media, former President Kufuor
expressed his delight at winning the award and described it as a
reflection of the good works of this government in alleviating the
plight of Ghanaians.
A citation accompanying the announcement of the award said:
“Under President Kufuor’s leadership, Ghana became the first
sub-Saharan African country to cut in half the proportion of its
people who suffer from hunger, and the proportion of people living on
less than a dollar per day, on course to meet UN Millennium
Development Goal 1.
“Continuing Ghana’s tradition of stability, President Kufuor
prioritized national agricultural policies: Ghana saw a reduction in
its poverty rate from 51.7 per cent in 1991 to 26.5 per cent in 2008,
and hunger was reduced from 34 per cent in 1990 down to nine per cent
in 2004.
“A guiding principle for President Kufuor during the entirety of
his two terms as President of the Republic of Ghana (2001-2009) was to
improve food security and reduce poverty through public and
private-sector initiatives.
“To that end, he implemented major economic and educational
policies that increased the quality and quantity of food to Ghanaians,
enhanced farmers’ incomes, and improved school attendance and child
nutrition through a nationwide feeding program.”
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