Efforts to reduce youth unemployment in the country and provide alternative livelihood to people has received a boost with the launch of Agritrak.
Agritrak is a hands-on and practical programme to train the youth in agribusiness ventures in areas of livestock, poultry, ruminant, horticulture production and fish farming.
An initiative of the University of Ghana School of Agriculture, College of Applied Sciences, Livestock, Poultry and Research Centre (LIPPREC), AP Oak and Oak Foundation, it is also meant to provide alternative income for the people.
Speaking at the launch, the Director of LIPREC, Dr Leonard Adjorlolo, said LIPREC was seeking partnership and partners in industry to train the youth in agribusiness to create employment for the youth.
He said LIPREC was one of the three research institutions under the University of Ghana, and had a lot of facilities to train the youth in agribusiness in poultry, ruminant, and vegetable production.
He said industry-academia partnership was critical in addressing the growing youth unemployment in the country.
Dr Adjorlolo entreated the youth to take advantage of the programme to acquire practical employable skills in agribusiness and agriculture.
The Founder and Director of AP Oak and Oak Foundation, Portia Agyei Yeboah, said Agritrak was to provide the youth, graduates and the vulnerable in society, especially women ex-convicts to gain employable skills.
She said the training was open to and targeted at pensioners, people about to retire and people in the corporate world.
Ms Yeboah said the training programme was flexible and even people in full employment can join.
She said the programme involved both theory and practical on how to keep poultry, livestock, ruminant production and rearing of rabbit and pigs.
“The programme starts from this month and will continue to run to provide employable skills particularly to the youth and vulnerable women,” she said.
The Director of AP Oak, Albert Eliason, said the beneficiaries would be taken through commercialisation on how to market their products.
He said the beneficiaries would taught how to establish agribusiness business venture after the training.
Mr Eliason encouraged people who want to make alternative income as well as a venture to invest their surplus income to register for the programme.
He said people who are interested in the programme can register on the website of AP Oak.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
