The Ghana Scholarships Secretariat has partnered the Jospong Group of Companies to unveil its much-touted Labour Bank, with emphasis on Agribusiness.
This was unveiled last week in an interactive session via Zoom on the theme “Agribusiness and Rice Production in Ghana.”
In his introductory remarks, the Registrar of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, said the essence of such an interactive session was to afford industry players like Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies, the opportunity to not only share their success stories with students, but more importantly, open up to these students on areas they could venture into upon completion of school to help in the development of Ghana.
“As we strive to link Academia with Industry, Jospong Group comes across as one of the entities in Ghana whose story is worth sharing and can be a motivation for most of our students, especially the agribusiness.
“Looking at how successfully Jospong, through the direction of Dr Siaw has chalked some successes as far as industry is concerned in Ghana, I thought it wise to have him come on board as a resourced person for the first of many interactive sessions we will be having as time goes on,” Dr. Agyemang said.
The Jospong boss, on his part, threw emphasis on the importance of academia collaborating with industry, stressing that these create a powerhouse of knowledge and practicality, which goes a long way to advance development.
His company, he assured, was ready to tap into the knowledge of these students upon completion of their studies which according to him is essential because of their exposure to other cultures and acquisition of knowledge from diverse backgrounds.
The youth, he said, largely play a crucial role in shaping the future of agriculture in Ghana.
“With your knowledge in digital matters, this is also the time that you can bring that knowledge on board as well and we are ready to tap into this knowledge.”
Rice production
According to him, there is a lot Jospong has to offer these students, especially across the rice value chain.
He mentioned that a lot of potentials abounds for them in areas such as input providers, extensive officers, cooperatives, tractor operators, millers seed breeders, engineers, storage experts, warehousing experts, agtech personnel and researchers.
The rest are wholesalers, retailers, financial services, transporters and CSOs.
He admitted that although globally, food security has become an issue, initiatives like this will go a long way to help take agriculture in Ghana to a certain level.
“Ghana spends over USD $2.2 billion on the importation of commodities like rice, tomato, cooking oil, fertiliser and poultry alone every year,” he disclosed.
“We are ready to make you part of us when you come back home after school. We will help to practically support the translation of your rich knowledge and experience into solutions to help salvage the challenge of food security in Ghana.
“Jospong is ready to collaborate with you to achieve food security in Ghana, because industries are shaped when academia and industry collaborate successfully.”
Fresh perspectives
Dr. Siaw Agyepong said there was a need to have fresh ideas to address Ghana’s agricultural challenges, and underscored the important role the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat could play in this.
He commended Dr. Agyemang, the Registrar, for initiating such a buoyant idea because youth-driven agribusinesses have the potential to transform agriculture into a more dynamic, sustainable and profitable sector.
“The Jospong Group shall provide support and create an enabling environment to nurture and empower young entrepreneurs like yourselves to unlock your full potential,” he assured and encouraged the students to freely send their ideas and projects to the Jospong Group on jsaschedules@gmail.com for evaluation and partnership.
Apart from collaborating with the Scholarships Secretariat, he said Jospong is collaborating with research institutions, universities, and agricultural organizations to conduct joint research projects on improving agricultural practices, crop varieties, and disease-resistant seeds suitable for Ghana’s climate and soil conditions.
Dr Agyemang in his closing remarks thanked the Jospong Group for collaborating with the Secretariat and urged other companies to come on board since the Secretariat’s ‘Labour Bank’ is one that will provide employment for the youth and help bring some fresh ideas into Ghana’s industry.
About Labour Bank
The Labour Bank is to create a platform for the supply of the right human resource to meet the needs of the industry of Ghanaians who have undergone training outside the country through the Scholarship Secretariat.
Work culture and language barriers associated with a foreign business will be minimized with the availability of people trained from these countries to promote a healthy working environment for productivity.
It offers the labour market well-trained personnel, appropriate and tailored to meet the demands of the industry to achieve effectiveness and efficiency.
