Kufuor Foundation Launched Capital Campaign

The John A. Kufuor (JAK) Foundation on Wednesday launched a fundraising campaign to raise GH¢80 million as an endowment fund to sustain the vision of the founder, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

It is the vision of the Founder to establish a peaceful, well governed and economically sustainable society in Ghana and Africa through the campaign.

That vision, he believes, would be achieved through the promotion of effective leadership as a catalyst for good governance and socioeconomic development.

Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, the Chief Executive Officer of JAK Foundation, at the launch in Accra, said the Capital Campaign, which aims at raising GHC80 million, approximately $15 million, would use five million dollars to construct the Kufuor Centre for Leadership and Governance on the University of Ghana, Legon Campus.

"Ten million dollars would be invested under an Endowment Fund with returns on the investment going to be used to run the programmes of the Foundation," he said.

The programmes of the Foundation include the Kufuor Scholars Programme; a transformational leadership training and mentoring of tertiary students, Kufuor Young Entrepreneurs Network; Kufuor Annual Awards and Kufuor Elections Observers Groups.

Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee, the Founder of Salt and Light Ministries, who launched the Campaign, said leadership was critical for the country and the Continent.

She said the launch was timely since it would bring out good leaders who would affect the citizenry to sustain the Founder's vision.

Dr Aryee said traditionally, Ghana had the governance system, which believed in consensus and that made democracy not an alien to the country.

'And the launch of this entrepreneurial skills will address governance as well as support the growth of the people, especially the youth,' she said.

Former President Kufuor, on his part, said governance was important to ensuring inclusiveness adding that good leaders helped to achieve that.

He said the absence of effective leadership had resulted in ignorance, diseases and poverty in Africa adding; 'Leadership doesn't happen by chance but through nurturing'.

The launch preceded a year-long programme on the theme: "80 for 80,' meaning 80 million Ghana cedis for 80 years.

Activities would include fundraising dinner and gala night to be coordinated by Madam Claudia Lumor, a celebrity walk coordinated by Bola Ray, concert coordinated by Okyeame Kwame, soccer by Stephen Appiah and Kwesi Appiah and a non-denominational thanksgiving service.

The programme would also be used to celebrate former President Kufuor's 80th Birthday.

The project, which is also known as national movement, has Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, the Former Chief Justice and Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, the Former Speaker of Parliament, as patrons.

The JAK Foundation started full operation in Ghana in 2011 with 11 countries as implementing partners.

They are Nigeria, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Togo, Mali, South Sudan, Niger and Uganda.