CSIR- Crop Research Institute (CRI) in collaboration with Agricultural Productivity Technology Centre (APTC) has trained 26 West African youth in Agriculture.
The 3 days workshop dubbed; ‘National Youth Training in Agriculture’ which began on Monday came to a close yesterday at the Kumasi Crop Research Institute.
The participants, hailing mainly from Ghana and Benin, were trained in various areas, including commercial yam production, maize and rice seed production, flour production and products, and aquaponics-based food systems. Upon completion of the training, the youths received certificates to validate their participation in the Agric Workshop.
In an interview with Oyerepa TV, Dr Maxwell Asante Darko, the Deputy Director of the Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), stated that his organization deemed it necessary to train the youth on how to use agricultural products to equip themselves and create employment opportunities.
The collaboration between the Crop Research Institute and the Agricultural Productivity Technology Centre is a significant step towards promoting agriculture in West Africa. The training provided to the youths will not only equip them with the necessary skills but also encourage them to pursue careers in agriculture, Dr Maxwell Asante said.
“We realised that a lot of the youth don’t get employment after school, so we thought it necessary to teach them how to use Agric products to create employment for themselves.
I believe when they’re able to practice what we’ve taught them they will be able to cut down the importation of wheat and others since they will need a variety of the local Agric products. They will also contribute to the African economy’s growth,” he said.
Lead Facilitator of the program, Mrs Faustina Okyere, Head of Post Harvest Section at CRI, on her part, disclosed that the training is being done in batches and the recent is the 3rd batch.
“We’re doing this training in batches, and this is the 3rd one. We’re training them on how they can use wheat flour products to make pastries, cassava flour to make cakes, rice flour for cookies, and yam flour among others. So the participants have gone through all these processes.” Mrs Faustina Okyere said.
She added, “Our main aim for this workshop is to teach the youth the {aforementioned} in order for them to work with it and set up a businesss for themselves and others to reduce the overburdened unemployment issue in the country. So for these 3 days of training, we have taught them many things and I believe they’ve learnt a lot to go out there and make a difference.”
She indicated that CRI is fully committed to equipping all individuals interested in agricultural products.
The participants, on the other hand, expressed their sincere gratitude for the invaluable opportunity bestowed upon them. They conveyed that the training would significantly assist them in establishing their own businesses.
However, they also appealed to their respective governments for support in the form of startup capital to create employment opportunities for themselves and help reduce unemployment rates in Africa.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com/ Joseph Marfo
