A total of 83 agricultural entrepreneurs from the Ashanti and Western Regions have graduated from a General Agriculture Certification programme at Kwadaso Agricultural College (KAC) in the Ashanti Region.
The beneficiaries are beneficiaries of SNV Ghana’s Basic and Advanced Skills training under its Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) Programme, which partners with public and private institutions to improve entrepreneurship skills for the youth.
The beneficiaries received training on 10 courses including: agro processing, basic concepts in agriculture value chain, climate smart agriculture, crop production and management and financial literacy and sensitisation.
Others are livestock production, poultry production, entrepreneurship, agric marketing and resource use efficiency.
The lessons included in-class theory from KAC tutors and practicals – field exercises facilitated by extension officers from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
This programme is part of the European Union (EU)-funded Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project.
Speaking at a ceremony to present certificates to the beneficiaries, Project Manager – Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project, Laouali Sadda, said this programme is to help equip the youth with the requisite skills and match them with job opportunities.
“Under our GrEEn project, SNV Ghana has been implementing OYE by carrying out skills training, facilitating on-the-job skills development through internships and practical learning as well as providing funding to green microbusinesses and start-ups,” he said.
He further expressed the belief that the beneficiaries will make good use of the training received.
“To our 83 graduates, I am confident that under the capable hands of Kwadaso, the lessons you have been given over the training period have not only increased your knowledge, but also exposed you to essential sustainable and climate-smart practices that you will be employing in your daily operations as you work to increase access to food and promote green and eco-friendly practices through your innovations,” he said.
Partnership
In 2022, SNV Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kwadaso Agricultural College to provide certified training on climate smart agricultural practices to youth who have completed SNV’s Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) Programme and are interested in agriculture, or are entrepreneurs in the agriculture value chain.
About GrEEn project
The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project is a four-year action from the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for Ghanaian youths, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable green businesses and providing employable skills training to youth job seekers in two selected regions in Ghana – Ashanti and Western – in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
