Wenchi Agriculture College in the Bono region has limited admission of fresh students due to inadequate facilities.

The development infrastructure has denied qualified prospective students from gaining admission to Wenchi Agriculture College in the Bono region for 2020/21 academic year.

Only 152 students were admitted to the college out of 200 qualified applicants.

Vice Principal of the Wenchi Agriculture College, Anthony Boadu Tawia, who disclosed this at the maiden matriculation ceremony of the college at Wenchi stated, though the college was willing to admit more qualified students, lack of facilities was a major hindrance.

“Our facilities are inadequate and should we increase the intake for the next academic year, the current infrastructure cannot contain them. So we are pleading with all well-meaning Ghanaians and NGOs to come to our aid,” Mr. Boadu Tawia stated.

He was, however, optimistic that the college will fix the infrastructure deficit in the coming years to enable the teeming youth to acquire knowledge in general agriculture.

The Vice-Principal mentioned that the college aims to become an autonomous degree-awarding agriculture institution, in the next few years hence the need to get busy with upgrading all facilities.

Director of Human Resource Development and Management Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Lawoety Tetteh, encouraged the students to focus on their studies and become great agriculture officers and entrepreneurs that will change the fortune of Ghana’s agricultural sector.

He added “I urged them to conduct yourselves very well and refrain from acts that will tarnish the reputation of the college.” 

Mr Tetteh affirmed MOFA’s resolve to fast-track infrastructural facelift at the college to make effective teaching and learning conducive.

Akyeamehene of Wenchi Traditional Council, Nana Damoah Koasane Adusi Poku Kofabae IV, assured of the traditional council’s reediness to release parcels of land to the college for future development.

Wenchi Agriculture College was established in 1964 as Wenchi Farm Institute. It was mandated to train the Youth in Vocational Agriculture to feed the Ministry of Agriculture and related organisations as Technical and farm Assistants.

The mandate later expanded to include the training of prospective farmers, farmer-based organisations and community-based organisation in appropriate modern farming techniques and methods to enable them establish their own farms as well as take responsibility as agribusiness practitioners for improved livelihood.

At the later part of 2020, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, gave the green light for Wenchi Farm Institute to be converted into full agriculture college. The Wenchi Agriculture College became the seventh agriculture college in Ghana.

In all, 120 students have been admitted to pursue a 2-year Certificate in General Agriculture whilst 32 students were to pursue Vocational Training in Agriculture.