Self Help aid agency appoints new chairman

Troubled aid agency Self Help has appointed a new chairman and two new board members in a move to avert cuts in State funding. Self Help specialises in farmer-to-farmer aid in Africa and enjoys strong support among Irish farmers.

Faced with a decision by Minister of State for overseas development aid Conor Lenihan to end talks over long-term funding for the charity, former chairman Liam Reynolds has stepped down.

A board meeting on Monday night agreed unanimously to replace him with Tom Corcoran, a former chair of Glanbia who enjoys good relations with the Irish Farmers Association.

Mr Reynolds becomes vice-chairman.

Self Help rowed acrimoniously with the IFA last month over internal governance issues.

The IFA accused the charity of being run as a "self-perpetuating private club" while Self Help riposted that the farmers' organisation was trying to control it.

This followed months of often public disputes between board members, marked by resignations, walkouts and the creation by dissidents of a rival board.

Last month, Mr Lenihan, who is responsible for the State's overseas aid programme, Irish Aid, told the Dáil he was dissatisfied with the "internal warring feud" within the organisation.

He said he had written to Self Help to indicate that he was ending discussions on a five-year funding plan due to start next year.

However, he agreed to continue funding on a year-to-year basis.

Green Party TD John Gormley claimed Self Help was being bullied by the IFA, but Mr Lenihan said the IFA, while it had contacted his officials, had behaved properly at all times.

His department was "extremely satisfied" with the programmes Self Help was running in Africa.

Monday's meeting also agreed to recruit an outsider to chair a governance review of the agency, as well as appointing Dr Jim Kinsella of UCD and John Carroll of Glanbia to the board.

Dr Kinsella had resigned several weeks earlier in frustration at the ongoing disputes.