Ghana elected President of WFP Executive Board

Ghana's Ambassador to Italy, Mrs Evelyn A. Stokes-Hayford, has been elected President of the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) for a one-year term.

Mrs Stokes-Hayford was unanimously endorsed by fellow African Ambassadors as the sole African candidate and elected by acclamation by members of the board. 

With her election, she becomes the first woman and first Ghanaian to lead the WFP’s Executive Board since it was established in 1996 and the first Ghanaian to hold a leadership position in the governing body of the WFP since its establishment over 50 years ago.

Mrs Stokes-Hayford served as the Vice President of the executive board from February, 2013 until her election in February, this year. 

She played a lead role in the activities of the bureau of the board, including leading a delegation of the board to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo in September, 2013 to observe the activities of the WFP in the field. 

She was also one of two representatives of the WFP board that participated in the Annual Joint Meeting of the Executive Board Bureaux of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, UN Women and WFP held in New York in February, 2014. 

She brings to the board a wealth of knowledge and experience in international relations, management and leadership acquired over several years of work in various organisations in Ghana and abroad.

The WFP Executive Board is the main governing body of the WFP with a mandate to oversee the WFP's humanitarian and development food aid and assistance activities.

The WFP is a key partner of the Government of Ghana, working with various MDAs to implement development programmes focusing on education, nutrition and climate change mitigation and adaptation. 

Development initiatives such as the School Feeding Programme and the Purchase for Progress are very popular with beneficiaries and have helped to transform their lives for the better. 

Her election has been well received by member countries, especially the Africa Group, who view it as a great honour Africa and for Ghana in particular.