The students and an official of the Israeli Embassy
Fifty-one (51) Ghanaian students will travel to Israel to begin an 11-month long intensive practical agricultural training with Agrostudies, an Israeli programme which offers apprenticeship that focuses on agriculture capacity building and promotes food security. This is collaboration between Ghana’s Ministry of Food & Agriculture and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking at the send-off ceremony for the apprentices, Shani Cooper, Israeli Ambassador designate to Ghana, explained “the state of Israel sees this project as a great opportunity for a perfect cooperation since Ghana and Israel are equal in the equation of beneficiaries. Israel is in need of good and trained people to work in agriculture and at the same time gather knowledge and rich experience.”
Being the pioneers of this collaboration, Shani Cooper charged the apprentices to take up the responsibility of ensuring that their conduct would be above impressive to pave way for the next batch of apprentices.
“Though you represent yourself, your community and your country, you also carry the burden of the next groups of students that would like to be part of this project in the future,” she added.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, also called on the apprentices to take this opportunity seriously and learn every aspect of the trade since they are expected to return to help set up a vibrant vegetable sector in Ghana. He further asked them to be good ambassadors of Ghana, ensure discipline and comport themselves very well.
Speaking on behalf of the management of Agritop, an Israeli greenhouse technology-training academy in Ghana, Mr Prince Kwame Boakye encouraged the beneficiaries to learn very hard.
The apprentices, who have also undergone three-month training in greenhouse technology with Agritop, will be attached to cooperative farms called Kibbutz or Moshav, where they will work on the field for five days and attend theoretical classes once a week in Agrostudies campuses across Israel. While in Israel, the graduates will be paid a monthly allowance, which they will be expected to save to enable them kick start their own agribusiness upon their return. They will be among 1,600 students from Africa, Asia and South America. The beneficiaries are expected to return to Ghana with enriched experience and knowledge given by the best farmers in Israel.
The send-off ceremony brought together officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Agritop, the apprentices of the programme and dignitaries such as Rev. Dr. Kwabena Darko, Robert Ilatov from the Israeli Knesset.