Ajinomoto Signs Pact to Improve Child Nutrition in Ghana

ACCRA, GhanaAjinomoto Co., Inc., the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MPU) in Accra confirming a tripartite collaboration effort aimed at addressing the serious malnutrition that frequently occurs in babies between the ages of 6 months and 2 years in Ghana.

The signing of the memorandum for collaboration is a historic moment between the governments of Japan and the United States, and marks the first time that the governments have come together with the private sector to improve nutritional status.

Infants in Ghana typically are weaned to a fermented corn porridge called koko" that is deficient in energy, protein and micronutrients, and the practice is a major cause of stunted growth among children. In 2009, Ajinomoto began working the University of Ghana, the Nevin  Scrimshaw International Nutrition Foundation and others to produce Koko Plus," a nutrient supplement for the porridge.

Based on that work, Ajinomoto, USAID and JICA have agreed to collaborate to develop a sustainable business model to expand the project and to help ensure its success and reach throughout the country. USAID will provide $600,000 in funding and expertise to help establish a distribution model for promoting and increasing use of Koko Plus. Ajinomoto will produce the supplement, made from locally produced soybean with added micronutrients and the amino acid lysine. JICA will provide ongoing assistance as part of its efforts to promote effective, self-reliant business development through public-private partnerships.

We are honored to be the first Japanese company to participate in this type of GDA public-private partnership with the U.S. and Japanese governments," said Dr. Yasuhiko Toride, Director of Nutrition Improvement Projects at Ajinomoto Co., Inc. We are certain that this type of intervention will make a meaningful improvement in the lives of children in Ghana, and the support of USAID and JICA will help to ensure that the project reaches those who need it most."

The Ghana joint project will deliver a solid foundation that will allow similar nutrition projects to expand into other parts of Africa. This project will demonstrate the good that can come from industry working with governments to improve health and create jobs in developing areas of our globe," Toride said. This is sustainable business in its best sense."