JAK Foundation inaugurates new CEO

The John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation on Tuesday held a ceremony to inaugurate Professor Baffour Agyemang- Duah, as it�s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Before joining the foundation, he was the Senior Special Advisor at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (2008-2013), UN Senior Governance Advisor in Tanzania (2005-2008), and a co-founder and former Associate Executive Director of Ghana Centre for Democratic Development. Prof Agyemang-Duah studied at the University of Cape Coast, Ohio University and University of Denver. The former university professor had more than a dozen of his articles appearing in academic journals and the latest of his three books being; My Ghanaian Odyssey, published in 2012. Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, Chairman of the Foundation, said Africa do not lack the factors of development, but rather good leadership. He said: �Africa has had rulers but not leaders,� adding, �rulers never add to what they inherit but leaders do.� The Chairman explained that a good leader must know the challenges of the people, the machinery of governance as well as hold and uphold the constitution. He stated that the main pillars of the JAK Foundation are based on agriculture, climate change and health. Prof Agyemang-Duah said he was pleased to be given the opportunity to serve the Foundation, Ghana and the African continent at large. �I was impressed by the former president�s insistence that the JAK Foundation is independent, non-political and non-profit organisation. He noted that the most impressive, was his advice that all initiatives and engagements of the Foundation be guided by the values and principles of transparency, accountability, inclusion, equity, fairness and commitment to excellence. Speaking on projects, the new CEO said the Foundation had developed a three- pronged approach to its activities, which includes a developed programme for specialised leadership training, formation and mentoring with particular focus on the youth. The CEO stated that the Foundation is also developing a programme to advance good democratic governance through advocacy and public education, aside areas of agriculture and health, being the focus of the Foundation�s socio-economic development programme. Prof Agyemang-Duah said the foundation would complete the John Agyekum Kufuor Presidential Library and Museum, an ongoing project on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The JAK Foundation, which was established in 2009, recognises the persistent challenge of leadership and governance, which continues to undermine Africa�s development. It therefore aims at contributing to meet the challenge by advancing effective leadership, good governance and socio-economic development.