Dear Editor,
I have been waiting for an initiative like the Youth in Innovative Agriculture Support Programme for sometime now, and I think this is an answered prayer.
According to the World Bank Group, Agriculture is the engine of growth of every economy. It should be a great opportunity for a country like Ghana, blessed with a fertile land, to have most of its youthful population entering the Agriculture sector but this has not been the case.
The question I have always asked myself is why are the youth ‘running away’ from a sector known to be an engine of growth of the Economy? I’m optimistic that this initiative is capable of solving the problems highlighted below:
One of the problems most youth faces in this country is difficulty in accessing fund or loans from financial institutions. Financial institutions usually are always unwilling to give out loans to farmers, especially the young ones. Since the Ministry of Finance is funding this programme, the problem of inaccessibility of fund or credit facilities from financial institutions is solved.
I am much confident that the interest the beneficiaries of this Programme would pay would be very affordable and convenient as compared with the high interest rate on loans financial institutions charge.
Most young farmers manage and supervise their own activities. The National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) would set up a supervisory team that would be charged to supervise the activities of the beneficiaries. This is a novelty and I believe the technical support and expertise would yield results, as the programme would help reduce food shortage.
Having highlighted some of the benefits of the programme, I would plead with the NEIP to discharge its mandate without any favouritism or partisanship. The programme would be a success if the selection process is transparent.
The Youth in Innovative Agriculture Support Programme has so far received thousand of applications since it was launched. The application is expected to end February 5, 2022 and I urge young people interested in agriculture to apply for this life-changing opportunity.
May God bless our Homeland Ghana.
Justice Phinehas Gyesi
Founder/Executive Director, Giveth Hand International
Email:gyesijusticephinehas@gmail.com