By Boakye Baafi, GNA
Ejura (Ash) Nov 02, GNA – Five Agricultural Colleges have been selected to benefit from a support-package involving upgrading of the infrastructure and re-equipment.
They are Pong Tamale Animal Health and Production College, Ohawu, Ejura, Damango and the Kwadaso Agricultural Colleges.
The assistance is coming under the Technical Education Development for Modernized Agriculture in Ghana (TEDMAG) Project.
Mr. Robert Patrick Ankobiah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, announced this at a ceremony held to mark the start of rehabilitation works at the Ejura Agricultural College and this would cost of GH?1.9 million.
The contractors would renovate the administration block and staff common room, the ICT and science laboratories, a four unit-classroom structure with ancillary facilities and a mechanization workshop.
He said the phased-rehabilitation and retooling were being funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana Programme.
Mr. Ankobiah added that the project would significantly improve the infrastructure and learning tools in the beneficiary colleges.
He said its other components included the review of the curriculum and capacity building of the teaching staff.
The goal was to make sure that graduates from those colleges would be well trained in modern agriculture productivity, value chain development, agribusiness and the entrepreneurial skills.
« With the benefit of these interventions, the graduates from these colleges will be able to deliver market-oriented extension services to farmers, commodity farmer-based organizations (FBOs), aggregators and processors. »
He said the expectation was that this would lead to increased incomes and more sustainable and economically viable farming.
Mr. Philip Bennel, the Chief Executive Officer of Cephil Company Limited – the contractors, promised to ensure quality job and to do everything to meet the deadline.
The TEDMAG project is implemented by the TEDMAG Consortium, comprising the University of Saskatchewan – Canada, University of Missouri – United States and University of Missouri Assistance Program (UMAP) Ghana, an NGO, and it is under the auspices of the MoFA.
