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A mentorship forum is organized at Koforidua Technical University to encourage the youth to take up agriculture as a serious business.
The forum on Friday, August, 25, was organized by the 2022 National Best Farmer, Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe I, the Akyimpenhene of Asante Juaben Traditional Council with its partners from KOSMOS Innovation Center and Ghana Exim Bank.
The “Rethink Programme” is an innovation birthed by the office of the 2022 National Best Farmer urging the youth to consider agriculture and the opportunities along its value chain as more than a traditional vocation but an avenue of multiple opportunities.
The forum-themed “Opportunities along the Agricultural Value Change” engaged policymakers and stakeholders to come out with policies to empower the youth and facilitate their access to finance.
Speaking to a uniquenewsgh news report Kaakyire Kwasi Afari, the 2022 national best farmer said the Rethink program was conceived to bring together young intellectual minds to unravel the big questions in Agriculture and its value chain, thus the Young Agripreneurs Forum was a “gathering of great minds” as the panelists shared their experiences.
Nana Yaw Sarpong Siribour who is the chief executive officer for Siribour Farms mentioned that the forum addressed many challenges young people encounter in the sector and also showcased the numerous opportunities inherent in the agricultural value chain.
He said the “Rethink Agriculture” program is expected to equip the youth with the tools, knowledge, information, education, and skills that will not only help sustain agricultural legacy but transform it into a force that drives innovation and economic growth.
He further said that though he was a trained engineer by profession, he needed to encourage the youth to lead the transformative shift in the agricultural sector as a profession that not only improves the well-being of the individual but also plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the country.
Commenting on the initiative,
Mr. Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, the Executive Director for Kosmos Innovation Center who was the guest of honour, said agriculture offered ready jobs adding that the program was aligned with the renewed focus of the KOSMOS to fashion out new approaches to agriculture.
Mr. Benjamin Gyan-Kesse entreated the beneficiaries to take the training seriously to build upon their skills in animal rearing, crop plantation, and other agricultural opportunities.
He urged the beneficiaries and youth in tertiary schools not to see agriculture as a venture for the academically poor.
According to him agriculture and agri-business could be a tool to create jobs for the youth and address the unemployment challenge facing the country.
He called on the tertiary students in the Eastern region to leverage all the opportunities KOSMOS presents to them by engaging in events such as the Young Agripreneurs Forum because his office is ready to assist them in bringing what they have studied into a meaningful space.
For his part, Mr. Franklin Owusu-Karikari, Director of National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NIEP) stated that his office has completed training of over 25,000 applicants in the Youth in Innovative Agriculture Programme under Ghana Cares Obaatanpa Programme.
He said the shortlisted applicants received funding and technical support after they had gone through training and mentoring.
According to Mr. Franklin Owusu- Karikari the program is part of the government’s efforts toward supporting commercial farming and attracting educated youth into agriculture to help ensure food security and to help close our food import substitution gap.
He encouraged me to venture into agriculture because farming is a business with good returns.
By: Kaakyire Kwasi Afari/uniquenewsgh.com
