Agrihouse Foundation an agricultural advocacy NGO has launched the 4th edition of its annual Agric student’s career guidance and mentorship dialogue Bootcamp in Accra.

It is under the theme, “We have Enabled and Established the Agri-youth! Time to Scale-Up them-Up to Feed Ghana.”

The bootcamp is an Agri-booster and capacity building initiative, strategically designed to empower the Ghanaian youth in a futuristic way that also feed into the country’s agricultural objective of achieving food security, while providing sustainable employment.

Speaking at the launch, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, said the Covid-19 pandemic, as grave as it has been, is positively directing Agrihouse toward its greater missions.

Which is to grow and build resilience; introduce new interventions and upscale its projects, to complement and align with the needs of all its beneficiaries and stakeholders, including households, farmers, women, beginner agribusinesses and civil society; development partners, the youth, small and large-scale farmers, Technology and financial firms, governments, public and private agribusinesses.

She disclosed that within four years the Agrihouse Bootcamp has trained and mentored about 600 while 20,000 students benefit indirectly.

Through the Agstud initiative, business clubs have been set up in 10 institutions where students have come up with agribusiness ideas, grown them and nurtured them into real businesses.

 She noted that About 14 individuals have also nurtured their personal ideas and are now operating these businesses on their own.

The five-day event employs mentorship sessions, learning visit to relevant agribusiness institutions and places of interest, seminars, workshops, business tools and professional speakers in a structured setting that includes soft skills training development and capacity building in leadership.

This year, AG-STUD AFRICA is scheduled to start on April 12 to 16, with organising partners including, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), and The National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association of Ghana (NFFAWAG)

Enumerating its Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa said the first year of the Agstud Bootcamp, its primary objective was to Grow Futures and empower the youth to appreciate the key role they play in the growth and future of the entire agribusiness sector which has yielded a positive result.

“This year’s event is going to be more practical as we seek to empower our students, beginner agribusinesses and participants with knowledge in best farming practices.

Particularly, in line with fertilizer application and appropriate use of inputs, farm management skills, Agribusiness knowledge, industry innovations," said Alberta Akosa.

In her remarks, the guest speaker of the event Dr Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings called on the youths to invest their time in vigorous agricultural research.

She said, "Research will inform what technology is best to apply and at the same time give them the idea on whether what they want to do is in line with climate change.

"Food security is key and is part of our national security so if we don’t recognise that then we really have a problem.”

Dr Zanator Rawling disclosed her intention to partner with Agrihouse Foundation to work to improve the agricultural sector which she sees as her support for the nation and the employment of the youth.