Agriculture is perceived to be a dirty job reserved for the aged. Youth of today, after graduating from the tertiary institutions yearns to work in the office, putting on suit with tie leaving the agriculture sector for the aged due to lack of support.
To change the narrative and save the country from the imminent hunger strike and food security and to achieve SDG2, Hon. Zenator Rawlings, the MP for Osu Klorttey, and the Patron for the ongoing AG-STUD 2021 Bootcamp has underscored the need for the financial institutions to tailored a package for the youth who venture into agriculture.
Passionately speaking, Hon. Zenator said a lot of people have the mindset of agriculture being a subsistence concept that does not yield any profit, but agriculture is a very profitable sector and agribusiness is the future of Ghana, therefore, there is a need to give the youth orientation, encouragement, and support them.
She commended Agrihouse Foundation for organizing such a Bootcamp for the youth. “This is one workshop that I think is going to be a lot of use to the youth because we have the Bootcamp here, not just about having mentors to speak to but also the practical experience and the support and we need more support for these young people who are daring to take that risk in the agric sector”.
“We should make sure that the financial institutions tailor a package specifically for the youth who are venturing into the agriculture sector”, Hon. added.
She urged the private partners to support the improvement of the youth as Agrihouse Foundation is doing and called on the stakeholders to support Agrichouse to impact more knowledge and skills in the youth to change the narrative.
Speaking to Agric Today, Alberta Nana Akosa, the Executive Director of Agrichouse Foundation said as a result of the great impact that the AG-STUD has had on those who participated in previous years, seventeen schools participated this year.
“The Bootcamp has really built the capacities of the students. From the various testimonies, more business opportunities have been created, and it is amazing to say that this year, seventeen schools came on board as compared to last year’s seven schools”, she gladly said.
Madam Alberta urged the government, private organizations, and stakeholders to support the course to develop the youth to take an active role in the agribusiness to solve food security and unemployment rate in the country.
“I am calling on everyone who wants to assist this course to come on board because this is the project that transforms, equips, and builds the capacities of the youth and arouses their interest in agribusiness as they are availed to their mentors.
Obed Asamoah, a beneficiary of AG-STUD 2018 and a mentor to AG-STUD 2021 appraised Agrihouse Foundation for igniting the interest he had in agriculture when he was in school.
According to him, the knowledge, and the skills gained from the Bootcamp have broadened his horizon and have opened greater opportunities for him. As a beneficiary, he has gained a scholarship to study Pathology at Utsunomiya University, Japan.
He thanked Agrihouse Foundation, sponsors, and the supporting partners for making it possible for the youth actualizing their potentials in the agriculture sector. He called for more support especially the stakeholders and the financial institutions to support the youth who have the passion to produce to feed the country.
