The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in partnership with the Taenprowiz Production Partnership Centre, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), select cooperatives, and the Anambra State Government, has launched a major youth empowerment initiative aimed at transforming fish production business across West Africa.
The programme, which is aimed at training 200 young people in Anambra State on the Taenprowiz Fish Production Business System and Technology, was inaugurated during the induction ceremony of the ECOWAS Youth Employability Programme 2.0 held at the COOU ETF Auditorium in Igbariam.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Emeka Iloghalu, Coordinator of the Taenprowiz Production Business System and Technology Partnership Centre in Anambra and Managing Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency (FABDA), praised the collaboration between ECOWAS and the state government.
He described the initiative as a strategic intervention that will curb youth restiveness, stimulate job creation and strengthen aquaculture entrepreneurship in the region.
Iloghalu explained that the Taenprowiz Fish Production Business System and Technology introduces an integrated, technology-enabled model designed to improve yields, reduce losses and standardize production processes for small and large-scale fish production. The system incorporates modern aquaculture business science, data-driven management, automated monitoring tools, and locally adaptable techniques to address persistent business challenges, including high mortality rates, inconsistent feeding, and poor water quality.
Capacity building
He added that the model places strong emphasis on capacity-building and sustainability, teaching effective fish production techniques, standardized operating procedures and eco-friendly methods that reduce waste and prevent disease outbreaks. The system further strengthens the aquaculture value chain by offering improved enablement for post-harvest handling, processing and market access strategies. “With its focus on resilience and innovation, the Taenprowiz Fish Production Business System is becoming a transformative blueprint for food security and aquaculture entrepreneurship across emerging markets,” he said.
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The 200 participants have already undergone over two months of preliminary engagement and will receive further hands-on training throughout the programme.
According to Iloghalu, graduates will be positioned to participate in the sector in three distinct ways: as professional employees in the aquaculture industry; as cooperative members trained to operate with proficiency rather than novice experience; and as informed investors capable of evaluating viable fish production ventures. “You have a bright future. With the support of Anambra State and ECOWAS, you will have no limits,” he told the inductees.
He also commended the team led by Prof. Jude Obi and the West African Secretariat of Ecological Organic Agriculture (WASEOA) for coordinating similar training simultaneously in Benin Republic, Togo, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Nigeria, underscoring the regional scope of the programme.
Empowering the Youths
Representing the Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Patrick Aghamba, Mr. Kingsley Ezelagba urged participants to remain focused and seize the opportunity to acquire life-changing skills. He highlighted Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s commitment to youth empowerment, noting his administration’s record of empowering over 8,000 youths under the “One Youth, Two Skills” scheme.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Toure, represented by Prof. Jude Obi said the initiative forms part of ECOWAS’s broader regional strategy to boost youth employment in agriculture, agro-forestry, and fisheries. He lamented that over 75 percent of young people in the region remain unemployed, and cited the project as a significant step toward reversing this trend. He announced that the ten best trainees out of the 1,280 youths enrolled across six West African countries will receive special awards.
Ensuring food security
In her remarks, COOU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kate Omenugha, commended ECOWAS and Taenprowiz for their efforts toward agricultural development and food security. She affirmed the university’s commitment to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger, citing the institution’s Healthy Living Farm as a model for organic farming, sustainability and practical agricultural training.
Also addressing the participants, the Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies at COOU, Prof. Onyechi Uzoka, encouraged the youths to embrace innovation, practice their newly acquired skills and utilise mentorship opportunities. He expressed confidence that the programme would help position Anambra State as a leading fish producer in Nigeria and eventually West Africa.
The high point of the ceremony was the formal induction of 200 youths into the Taenprowiz Fish Production Business System by the Coordinator of ECOWAS/WASEOA Nigeria, Mr. Gbadamosi R. Oyewole.
Olusola Akintonde