The 10 million euro ‘Alliance for Africa Foundation’, a new private sector initiative aimed at mobilizing global support for the sustainable development of the African continent, has appointed the Ghanaian leader as its President at a conference in the French capital, Paris, on Thursday.

This was contained in a release issued to the Castle press corps at the Kotoka International Airport on Saturday night when the President arrived from a three-day official visit to Paris.

The foundation, which is being promoted by the city of Milan in Italy, was outdoored on Thursday in Paris at a meeting with African ambassadors, with the sole intention of focusing on capacity building with special emphasis on vocational training, health, agriculture and public services.

Accepting the honour, President Kufuor said since the concept of the Alliance was in tandem with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), he felt challenged to lead the group to work, because no effort should be spared to galvanise global support for Africa’s development.

The two-term chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) underscored the importance of human resource development if the continent was to realise her full potential.

“We may be sitting on gold, silver or oil but it will have to take the appropriate human resource through capacity building to make these natural resources profitable to us,” President Kufuor stated.

A seed capital of 10 million euros has been made available to kick-start the project which would be jointly headquartered by Accra and the Italian city of Milan.

The President was met on arrival by a host of ministers and security chiefs including the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Joseph Boateng Danquah and the Inspector-General of Police Patrick Acheampong.

The ministers included Sampson Kwaku Boafo of Chieftaincy and Culture; Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; and Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs.