The 2022 National Best Farmer, Oheneba Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe I, who is also the Akyimpimhene of the Juaben Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region, is set to establish an agribusiness school on his farm in the Ashanti Region.
The establishment of the school is part of his efforts to reposition the role of youth in agriculture from being a field for the poor and uneducated to a business venture for even the educated.
The 700-capacity agribusiness school, which is expected to be commissioned in November 2023, will train and mentor the youth to become agripreneurs and expose them to the business aspect of agriculture.
The school, which is located on the farm of the National Best Farmer, is well-positioned to use the farm as a demonstration site for hands-on practical training for beneficiary students.
He made this known during an interview with Citi News in Koforidua on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Kosmos Innovation Center – Koforidua Technical University Young Agripreneurs Forum.
The 2022 National Best Farmer, Oheneba Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe, affirmed his commitment to changing the face of agriculture through the youth.
“We want the youth to come to us because we will serve as mentors to them and we will not let them go astray. Most of us at the top also have mentors, so they can come and visit us and we can explain the business aspect of agriculture to them. As part of my initiative, I am putting up an agribusiness school. I strongly believe that agribusiness should be taught on the farm, not in other places. So I am putting up a 700-capacity agribusiness school, which will hopefully be commissioned in November 2023. This will be a center of reference where all these students we are engaging can come and have access to information, education, and knowledge.”
“The agribusiness school will be located on my farm in the Ashanti Region so that my farm can serve as a demonstration site. When you are taught something in class, you can step out of the class and physically see the reality on the ground, so you can compare it to what you have been taught in class.”
He also challenged the youth to take advantage of the agriculture value chain.
“People are making a living from selling eggs, and that is why we have taken the time to explain to the youth that the agriculture value chain entails a lot. It is a very large space, so whatever you are doing, regardless of whether you are an agricultural student, you can find a place in it. If the youth rethink some of these things, they will then know that there are a lot of jobs out there. Youth unemployment is a problem, but trust me, there are also a lot of jobs in agriculture. Industry needs us, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and all sectors need us. It is up to us to rethink, repackage, and rebrand ourselves and make sure we are making use of the opportunities around us.”