AGRA Appoints Namanga Ngongi as its First President

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) named Dr. A. Namanga Ngongi as its first president. Ngongi’s has woreked in international organizations like the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), where he served as the Deputy Executive Director from 1994 to 2001. After his service in WFP, Ngongi became UN's Under-Secretary-General and head of the organization’s peacekeeping mission in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Earlier in his career, he has worked with village farmers for Cameroon's Agriculture Ministry.

“I am proud and eager to serve as president of AGRA," Ngongi said. “AGRA’s goals are my own. There is no acceptable reason for Africa’s farmers to be poor. Working with their many allies, farmers can move beyond mere subsistence farming. With access to the needed tools and technologies and with responsible stewardship of our natural resources, we can bring prosperity to Africa’s farmers and their families." Alongside former UN secretary general Kofi Anan, Alliance board chair, Ngongi will lead AGRA’s work to end poverty and hunger of Africa’s small-scale farmers.

He will replace interim president Dr. Gary Toenniessen, who has presided since AGRA’s founding in September 2006.

Read more at http://www.agra-alliance.org/