NGO trains unemployed youth in agribusiness

Accra, June 25, GNA - The Centre for Agricultural Business and Small and Medium-Scale Enterprise Development (CASMED), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Accra, has trained 100 unemployed youth in various agricultural businesses.

The trainees undertook lessons in vocational and technical skills such as fruit juice processing, yoghurt production, soap making, bathing and hand gel, bakery and confectioneries, cake icing, beads making and millinery.

It was aimed at empowering young and aspiring entrepreneurs, businessmen and women to develop innovative ways of processing agro products and to be abreast with skill-oriented hands on product manufacturing.

Mr Benjamin Sarfo, the Programme Director of CASMED, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the programme was to impact skills to the unemployed youth, and, to prevent them from anti-social practices that would result in contracting diseases.

He said CASMED was committed to supporting young entrepreneurs and the unemployed youth in the local communities to turn their business ideas into realities and help small enterprises to grow and become competitive.

''We combine both competency-based skills training with business development, leadership marketing, financial management and entrepreneurship experiences to help the youth grow their businesses to compete in the national and international market,'' he said.

Mrs Adjoa Owusu-Takyi, a Board Member of CASMED, advised the graduates to invest their savings in order to grow their finances for their business start-ups.

Mrs Adjoa Nimako, a beneficiary of the training, told the GNA that she was impressed and labelled the skills acquired as a life transforming one and encouraged her colleagues to start their businesses since it would go a long way to reduce unemployment in Ghana.

Similar training programmes were held at Sunyani, Kumasi and Obuasi

GNA