KOICA, WFP sign $9.3 million agreement on youth empowerment

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday signed a $9.3 million project to empower the youth in the country through digitalisation and to contribute to food and nutrition security.

The five-year project dubbed “Youth Economic Empowerment through Digitalisation for Resilience in Food and Nutrition Security and Improved Livelihood”, is from October 17, 2024, to October 17, 2028.

The Country Director of KOICA, Dong Hyun Lee, signed for his organisation, while the Country Director of WFP Ghana, Aurore Rusiga, initialled for the programme.

Collaboration

Ms Rusiga said the WFP and KOICA had collaborated on a number of projects in their operational countries globally, which were all geared towards fighting food insecurity and providing rapid life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations in emergency-prone communities.

The agreement, she said, highlighted the Republic of Korea’s exceptional commitment to enhancing food and nutrition security through youth empowerment and digitisation.

On behalf of the WFP, Ms Rusiga expressed gratitude to KOICA for the $9.3 million contribution towards the implementation of the project.

“Sustained multi-year contributions like these are the foundation of WFP’s changing lives programmes, enabling us to build resilience within the communities we serve,” she said.

The Country Director of the WFP said with 38 per cent of the population of the country being youth, such an initiative was a viable investment.

Significance

Ms Rusiga said digitalisation would ensure effectiveness and efficiency in sectors such as health, communication, transportation and agriculture, among others.

“Leveraging technology and digitalisation will revolutionise the nation’s development efforts towards a more sustainable society.

“Research has shown that nutritional investment yields one of the best returns — for every GH¢1 invested, a return of GH¢ 3.30 is realised.

“Therefore, combining the transformational power of digitalisation and high return on investment in nutrition will undoubtedly lead to enhanced economic and nutritional security in Ghana,” she said.

Investment in youth

For his part, Mr Lee said the youth represented the driving force behind every nation’s economic empowerment, hence investment in young people was one of the most effective ways to promote sustainable growth and stability.

He said it was even more significant when combined with the transformative potential of digitalisation.

“Today, we gather to witness yet the impactful collaboration between KOICA and the WFP. This new project represents a shared commitment of empowering the youth through digitalisation to enhance food and nutrition security, while improving livelihoods in Ghana,” Mr Lee explained.

He said that digitalisation had immense potential to drive lasting and positive change, adding that through the partnership, “we are confident of contributing meaningfully to the sustainable development goals of the region”.