Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP) is set to fully commence as the best skills development programme for people with interest or present involvement in agriculture and agribusiness value chains.

Entrepreneurship for Opportunity Actualization (EOpAct) is focused on building the entrepreneurial and vocational skills of young people to take advantage of opportunities in the horticulture, livestock and grains sub-sectors within the vast agricultural industry.

The program also affords SMEs, working in the agribusiness sector and looking for improved technologies and innovations, an opportunity to be attached to firms to acquire these skills and improve their operational capacities.

Funded by the USAID under its Africa Lead programme, EOpAct will engage participants (individuals and SMEs) in "on-the-job" internship programmes at various firms where they will acquire hands-on vocational and managerial skills to become entrepreneurs, more employable or employers.

“The goal of the project is to increase income and employment in the horticulture, livestock and grains & legumes value chains through sustainable skills development,” the Executive Director at ASNAPP, Dan Fahene Aquaye said.

“Each year, only a small fraction of those who graduate from our universities find jobs. This is partly because there is a skills gap between recent graduates and industry. So, we are targeting these graduates and the youth in general as well as women to provide them with hands-on vocational and technical skills.”

EOpAct will fully begin after its launch on Thursday, 18th February, 2016 at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, at 9am. The guest speaker is Hon. Haruna Idrisu, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations.

“About a dozen interns out of 50 applications have already been placed at various agribusiness firms with tremendous feedback on performance,” Mr Aquaye added.

The internship programme, which typically lasts for two months can be extended for up to 12 weeks.

The EOpAct program ultimately aims to increase the number of skilled agribusiness professionals in the country and contribute to increased food security across Africa. ASNAPP is still accepting applications and inviting more businesses to sign up.