Agricultural advocacy organisation, Agrihouse Foundation has opened its annual Agricultural Students' Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue (AGSTUD) Bootcamp at the GNAT Hall in Accra.

The 6-day mentorship and career counseling programme brought together about 350 agricultural students from various agricultural training schools and other agric-related institutions across the country .

 The  programme, which was opened on May 19, will end on May 24, 2024.

This year's event is under the theme, "Accelerating our efforts in enabling and advancing career opportunities for the agri-youths: Role of public, private and development partners."

In an interview, the Founder and CEO of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa highlighted the successes achieved with the event over the past seven years.

She said the programme has benefited thousands of young people in the agric sector with some of them currently running their business.

The aim of the annual event is to support beginners in agribusiness to take advantage of career opportunities within the sector and also ensure that beyond the programme, participants will become employable.

She said last year, they started a new programme known as the input dealership pitch camp that aimed at giving participants access to agric inputs.

Alberta Akosa disclosed that the maiden edition was won by 22-year-old Charlotte Yawa Sodzedo, who received support through the Agromonti Ultimate Prize that enabled her to establish her own shop.

According to her, another beneficiary from Ngleshie Amanfro who is managing his two-acre pineapple farm is now supplying pineapples to pineapple processing companies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, MP for Korle Klottey Constituency and AG-STUD Bootcamp Patron, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, urged students to embrace agribusiness as a first-choice career, dispelling misconceptions that agriculture is for the poor and uneducated.

 She emphasised that agriculture is a lucrative business when done well and encouraged participants to seize the opportunities presented by the bootcamp.

On his part, the 2018 National Best Farmer Mr James Boateng who doubles as Managing Director of Kwafre Farms, urged the youth to take agriculture seriously.

Mr James Boateng, who has been highly successful in agribusiness said he worked and occupied various executives positions of multinational companies but he never achieved the success he envisaged until he got into agribusiness.