The Young Agripreneur Forum on University of Cape-Coast campus has held an orientation and onboarding for its new members at the Design Thinking and Innovation Hub (D-Hub) of the university.
YAF is a student-led interactive forum where tertiary students can share and exchange ideas, interests and engage in activities pertaining to agriculture.
YAF provides capacity building and practical skills training for students, invest in changing the mindset and perceptions of young people and position agripreneurship as an exciting career of choice.
An initiative of Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC), YAF is dedicated to empowering young agricultural entrepreneurs.
Also present at the orientation were new and existing members of YAF patrons, namely Dr Alexander Nuer, Dr Keren Arthur and the Programme Officer (PO), Irene Naa Korkoi Armah, who provided valuable perspectives on agribusiness and youth opportunities in Ghana.
They also encouraged members to actively engage in the agribusiness sector, emphasising its potential to drive job creation and economic growth.
A statement issued in Accra yesterday by the organisers stated that the event also served as an opportunity to introduce newly
elected executive council and provide insights into entrepreneurial prospects in the agricultural value chain.
It said the executives shared their vision and commitment to fostering agribusiness development among young people.
New members were given the platform to discuss challenges
they perceive in the agricultural sector.
Through these discussions, members explored innovative ways to turn these challenges into entrepreneurial ventures.
“Key areas identified included post-harvest losses, inadequate market access, and value addition in agribusiness.” the statement revealed.
A dedicated session was held to outline the Forum’s work plan for the semester and the entire year.
Members deliberated on various anchor projects to be undertaken, ensuring that the initiatives align with the YAF objectives of promoting youth involvement in agribusiness.
The orientation concluded with a session on sustainability planning. Members discussed strategies to ensure the long-term success and impact of YAF-UCC, focusing on resource mobilisation, partnerships, and capacity-building programmes.
Kosmos Innovation Centre, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is committed to empowering young people through employment opportunities through entrepreneurship.
The Young Agripreneur Forum (YAF) is one of the programmes KIC is implementing under its partnership with the Mastercard Foundation on the Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT) Programme.