Niger Fund receives about 10,500 dollars

Accra, Sept. 1 GNA - "The Niger Fund", set up in aid of the starving people of Niger and powered by Joy FM, has received an amount of 95,623,950 cedis or 10,508.13 dollars from Ghanaians and four Malians.

The Fund was initiated by Mr Kwaku Antwi-Boasiako, Finance and Administrative Officer, ABANTU for Development, who began a hunger strike to raise money and resources for the starving in Niger. A statement in Accra said the fund received 3,497 text messages, each worth 7,200 cedis in less than one month after it was launched in addition to cash and cheques received from 355 people at the JOY FM and Adom FM offices.

It said Mr Antwi-Boasiako was going to explore the possibility of setting up an African Hunger Response Fund with the involvement and support of individuals, institutions and governments in Africa and abroad.

The statement thanked the staff and members of JOY FM for their invaluable ideas and efforts in addition to the material resources and airtime for the project.

It said several lessons have been learnt from this project, for example, that Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) recently donated food worth billion of cedis to the government of Niger.