Annan to head new African aid organisation

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to head a new organisation intended to boost agricultural production in Africa and curb mounting hunger, soil erosion and lack of water.

Annan has agreed to be chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, set up last year by a grant of US$150 million ($202.31 million) from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.