The 3rd Agricultural Students Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue (AG-STUD) Bootcamp 2020 under the theme: Growing the Future: Establishing the Agri Youth, has been launched at Coconut Groove Hotel, Accra by Agrihouse Foundation.

The AG-STUD Bootcamp is a practical beginner agribusiness initiative aimed at helping Agric students, beginner agribusinesses and start-ups expertise in the entire value chain of agriculture while exposing them to the dynamics of the market through education and leadership programmes essential for achieving success in agriculture and agribusiness.

Delivering the welcoming address, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Ms. Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa said that in the last two years AG-STUD has groomed and transformed over 600 students and beginners to see agribusiness as a lucrative career path. This has enabled students and beginners to unearth their leadership skills and abilities, supported 10 key corporate institutions to identify and engage outstanding students to serve as interns and or fulltime employees.

She was gleefully inspired by the successful establishment of thriving businesses from the AG-STUD. According to her the most recent successful agribusiness from AG-STUD is the MushFarm. The business currently being managed by 6 students put together as a business team during the 2019 Bootcamp from the University of Ghana, Kwadaso, Asuanzi, Ohawu, and Fair River Institutes.”

The success of the programme has spellbound sponsors and partners from reputable institutions like the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, OCP, Interplast, ADB, the Serbian Consulate among others. Most importantly, the programme has secured an important partnership with the Serbian Consulate in Ghana. “I am pleased to announce to you that this year, the government of Serbia is joining us to give the programme added value that would see successful participants in the programme receiving scholarship awards to go and study agriculture and related disciplines in Serbia. The essence of this is that it has raised the stakes and added immense value to what the youth will be benefiting henceforth from AG-STUD,” Ms. Alberta announced.

AG-STUD is in its third year and it is already generating so much interest and impact on the youth in agribusinesses. The last two years have seen the establishment of at least ten successful agribusinesses formed by AG-STUD Business Clubs across the country.

In an exclusive interview with AgricToday Media, Obed Asamoah, the general coordinator of AG-STUD, UG and Paul Obeng, the general coordinator AG-STUD, UCC expressed their happiness about the new values being added to AG-STUD this year. They particularly mentioned the cancellation of the winner takes all system of awarding the funding and the travel scholarship deal with the Serbian Consulate as the top incentives for their teams for 2020.

The sponsors and technical partners commended the Agrihouse foundation for the visible transformations that they are spearheading within the agricultural space. They reaffirm their readiness to support the program and the participants to make the aim achievable.

Leaders of the various clubs from the schools across the country express so much appreciation to Agrihouse and the sponsors for the opportunities given to them. All of them took some time to throw some light on the stages of their business so far and their next lines of action.

These are the schools and their business modules; • Kwadaso Agric School: they rear birds and grasscutter- plan to start adding value this year • Asuansi Farm Institute: they are into mushroom farming- plans to venture into coconut oil processing • University of Ghana: they produce mushrooms- plans to expand to vegetable production • University for Development Studies: They produce watermelons-plans to add value by using it to produce ice cream • KNUST: produces organic fertilizer-wants to expand its market this year • Northern Youth Agric Hub: Vegetable production- looking at expanding markets • University of Cape Coast: Vegetable production • The University of Health and Natural Resources: Poultry and honey production • Fair River Farm Institute: Maize and rice production • Adidome Farm Institute: They are the newest entrants and plan to establish soon.

The launch saw in attendance high profiled representations from the Serbian Consulate, Ministry of Agriculture, OCP, Agriculture Development Bank, Interplast, the media, students from the 10 participating tertiary agriculture institutions and the general public.

The 3rd edition of the AG-STUD Bootcamp 2020 is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, 10th March to Friday, 13th March 2020 at the Coconut Groove Hotel, Sakumono, Accra.