Accra, Sept 25, GNA – The Office of the First
Lady has explained that the Rebecca Foundation “has never been in any time”, partner
Star Times Corporation, a Chinese firm operating in Ghana, as is being
suggested in parts of the media.
The Office of the First Lady, in a statement
issued on Monday, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, refuted the allegation
that the Foundation had played a role in the Government’s engagement with Star
Times to manage Ghana’s national digital television transmission platform.
The statement said the Rebecca Foundation was
set up for purely charitable purposes and that neither the First Lady nor the
Foundation had any role to play in any engagement between Star Times and the
Government of Ghana, neither directly or indirectly.
The Statement
said the Foundation was, however, very grateful to Star Times for
offering football kit to be donated through the Foundation to the SOS
Children’s Village, where the First Lady is a patron.
Star Times Corporation’s offer to provide
football kits for the children was because of their association with Ghana
football, the Statement explained, adding that, “This worthy effort, it must be
stated, was not at the instance of the Foundation”.
Giving more background to the football kit
offer, the statement explained that in 2017, the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca
Akufo-Addo, on a trip to China, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between the Rebecca Foundation and the Licang District Experimental School in
Qingdao to establish an exchange programme between Ghanaian and Chinese school
children.
The programme, which sought to deepen
cultural, academic and sports ties between the pupils of the two countries,
would see an exchange of 15 pupils each between Ghana and China, annually.
Under the terms of the MOU, Ghanaian pupils
would learn martial arts, ping-pong and other disciplines, while Chinese pupils
would benefit from football training with their Ghanaian counterparts.
The first group participating this year from
Ghana were 15 children from the SOS Children’s Village, who are expected to
gain an experience that would make a positive impact on their lives.
It said the Star Times Corporation Football
Kit offer support was publicly announced and it was purely for charitable
purposes.
The statement said the Rebecca Foundation was
committed to improving the welfare and well-being of women and children,
especially the vulnerable in society, and works with various partners who
“contribute in diverse ways to our vision and mission”.
“We are forever grateful for the continuous
support the charity is receiving from its well-wishers, both in Ghana and abroad.
“We wish to assure the general public that the
Rebecca Foundation will continue to be guided by the strict principles of
honesty, integrity and transparency.”
GNA