ECOWAS Signs Grant Agreements to Promote Youth Employment in Agriculture
The President, Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS), H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, as part of the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Strategy of Youth employment in Agro Sylvo-Pastoral and Halieutic Sector, signed grant agreements with 25 Centers among which 10 special Agriculture Training Centers; 6 National Agriculture Research Centers and 9 National Research Centers of Specialization on Agricultural Innovations to built youth capacity in the 15 member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo).
The total budget of the grant agreements funded by the Community levy of Ecowas is $USD, 1,033,7991 representing about $41,359.64 per centre and for an average duration of 4 months aimed at training 3142 young persons among which 30% of Women in the Region.
However, the purpose of each grant is to establish the framework of collaboration between ECOWAS and the recipient Centers for the implementation of the Regional Strategy of Youth employment in Agro Sylvo-Pastoral and Halieutic Sector in West Africa with the general objective of building the human resource and environmentally friendly system that will sustain and increase agricultural productivity, youth employment and create resilient rural society.
Selected following due consultation and assessment process, the 25 training centres represent the 15 Member States.
Each state is involved in the process. In supporting the centres through the agreements, ECOWAS seeks to improve the quality of training and the development of the centres capacities on topical issues related to agroecology and organic production, fishery and aquaculture, breeding and seeds selection and scaling of innovations and agribusiness.
Specifically, the target of the Programme is 3142 young people including men and women trained by the end of 2023 in agriculture and food in the region, with a goal to increase the annual number of persons trained in the sector.
Moreso, the objective of the support is to contribute to strengthening youth capacities in agribusiness which involves the promotion of agricultural innovations and good practices according to the environment, the increase in the number of young people trained, in particular rural people, and their networking in the long term.
Agro Nigeria / Foluke Ibitomi
