By Stanley Senya
Accra, Sept. 19, GNA – The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in collaboration with the Israeli Embassy has screened and selected 200 students from Ghanaian colleges and universities to be sent to Israel to acquire practical knowledge of the Israeli agricultural system.
The students would be taken through activities and courses in entrepreneurship, tree farming, aqua farming, post-harvest, irrigation, as well as maintaining international standards to enable them export what they would later grow in their countries.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in a meeting with the selected 200 students in Accra urged the students to be ambassadors of Ghana and take it as an opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills in agricultural production.
He asked them to be disciplined and, “Go and acquire the needed practical experience to help in the development of the country’s agricultural sector because others have gone and upheld the flag of Ghana very high.”
The minister assured the students of Government’s support throughout the programme and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity for the good of the country.
He said it was part of the country’s move to modernise agriculture and boost the sector for sustainable growth.
The Minister said, the interns were expected to come back to Ghana to pass on the knowledge and technology acquired to their fellow farmers while establishing their own farm enterprises.
That, he said they could do, by starting small to become big entrepreneurs later in life, all in the bid to help grow the Ghanaian economy.
He advised the students to stay true to the programme and not abscond when they get to Israel, but to take advantage of the opportunity, work hard and come back to establish themselves and make a better living.
The programme introduced in Ghana in 2018, offers apprenticeship that focuses on agriculture capacity building and promotes food security.
Over 120 apprentices have benefited from this programmewhich 200 will benefit this year.
GNA