Agro Kings Ltd, a leading Ghanaian agricultural company, in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) through the Sustainable Employment through Agribusiness (AgriBiz) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) is reorganising a fully funded women in agriculture mechanisation training programme.
This is in line with Agro Kings’ priority to support women and the youth in agriculture. The programme, which is targeted at training young women in the operation and maintenance of machines, specifically farm machinery, was launched in August 2021 receiving over 600 applications.
All 12 participants who attended the training programme received internship offers in diverse sectors with two of these trainees who have been employed and promoted to serve as the Mechanisation Lead and Farm Administrative Lead at Agro Kings Farms respectively.
Image of graduates from the First Women in Agriculture Mechanisation Training
The programme will run for four weeks at Agro Kings Farm with a mandatory three month internship after the intensive training. It will aim to bridge the skills gaps among youth, especially women. The African Centre for Economic Transformation cited a study that showed that Ghana’s 46.7% female workforce has skills gaps as a possible barrier to employment in the future world of work in Ghana.
Also, the rapid increase in unemployment rates further buttresses the need for support for more young ladies in agriculture. This second edition will include adequate soft skills training which will enable the young women to build a holistic, value-driven and successful career in Agriculture.
The course will cover topics including health and safety management in agricultural machinery (tractor and heavy-duty machines) operations, drone piloting and basic Excel, record keeping, task management and budgeting. Trainees at the end of the training are expected to acquire the necessary knowledge and practical skills to manage, operate and maintain tractors and their related equipment.
To be eligible, applicants must be women between the ages of 18 and 35 who possess basic literacy and numeracy skills. Participants must demonstrate a desire in agriculture and must be willing to work on the farm. Interested applicants must register by 22nd January, 2023. Participants recruited are expected to report on 4th February, 2023 for training to begin on 4th March, 2023.
About Agro Kings
Agro Kings is an innovative enterprise premised on advancing human lives with a focus on farming, value-added agriculture and technology to support global food security. Currently working with over 300 smallholder farmers, the company is geared towards adding 2,000 by the end of the year. Agro Kings product portfolio includes products such as Nana’s Rice, Chichi’s Sweet Potatoes, Mama’s Chicken, Nana’s Chilli and Ceresoya.
About Agribiz
The Sustainable Employment through AgriBusiness (AgriBiz) is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). AgriBiz supports the Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry to improve the framework conditions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This is achieved through interventions on capacity development for agribusiness MSMEs and the long-term institutionalisation of this approach among private and public service providers, as well as strengthening the representation of interests through member-based organisations.
