Agriculture students get support to boost production

Ten tertiary institutions offering agricultural courses received financial support at the end of the third edition of this year's Agric Students Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue (AG-STUD) in Accra.

The institutions were each presented with GHC 1000 and certificates to scale up their business modules.

This year's edition of the three-year-old youth-targeted agribusiness boot camp camped over 30 students, representing AG-STUD Business Clubs from schools across the country.

Representatives from the schools with existing businesses were groomed, coached and mentored to scale up their production, which started from March 10 to 13.

They pitched their business ideas and plans before a five-member judge and after over three hours of exhaustive presentations.

The programme organized by Agrihouse Foundation, an NGO in collaboration with its partners is on the theme: "Growing Futures: Establishing the Agric Youth".

Madam Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, the Executive Director, Agrihouse Foundation, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the event was designed to coach the students through hands-on experience and mentoring, stressing that experts with relevant expertise and practical experience were selected for the programme.

"The boot camp aims at inspiring agricultural students and startups in the value chain as well as expose them to the dynamics of the market through leadership programmes on agribusinesses", she said.

She said the 2018-2019 edition of the event created jobs for students and youth and as a result, there were now over six successful businesses being run by students who participated in the AG-STUD programme.

The Executive Director said these students will also be equipped with the technical know-how on how to manage their agribusinesses.

Mrs Catherine Fabbi, Head Mentor for AG-STUD, was impressed with the contribution of participants at the training, urging them to utilize the opportunity because there are potentials in agriculture to be fully harnessed.

Mrs Fabbi, who is also the Business Development Manager of Interplast, said the initiative would propel the youth to see opportunities in the sector and venture into agriculture for their livelihoods and national development.

Some of the participating schools who spoke to GNA expressed satisfaction about the programme, saying that the initiative has transformed their business modules.

Some urged the organizers to sustain the programme to attract the youth to venture into farming.

The participating schools are the University of Ghana, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kwadaso Agricultural College, and University of Developmental Studies.

The rest are University of Cape Coast, Fair River Farm Institute, Damango Agricultural College, Asuansi Farm institute and Northern Agri-Youth Hub.