Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced his new role as chairman of a green group funded by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, aimed at improving food production in Africa. Annan expressed his honor in joining this initiative to address challenges faced by small-scale farmers in Africa. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, established with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, aims to help farmers across Africa increase productivity and income sustainably to combat poverty and hunger. The group is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Annan stated that the organization plans to collaborate with governments and farmers to enhance local and regional agricultural markets, enhance irrigation, soil health, and farmer training, and support the development of new seed systems that can withstand the harsh African climate. He emphasized that they will not promote the use of genetically modified seeds, which have sparked controversy in some African nations, but will instead focus on improving disease resistance of current seeds in Africa. Annan made these remarks at the World Economic Forum for Africa in Cape Town, expressing hope that agricultural productivity could double or even triple within the next 10-20 years through concrete action rather than just mere aspirations. The Alliance expressed its support for the goals outlined in the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which aims for a 6 percent annual increase in food production by 2015. The group plans to implement agricultural changes that have successfully increased productivity in Asia and Latin America. During his time at the United Nations, Annan frequently highlighted the connection between Africa's struggling agriculture systems and its ongoing issues with hunger and poverty. Over the last five years, the number of malnourished children in Africa has increased by approximately 12 percent. Annan, who is from Ghana, recently completed a 10-year term as UN secretary-general.