Recruitment of third batch for Israel internship - beneficiaries warned against absconding

The management of AGRITOP Ghana Ltd, operators of the greenhouse villages in Ghana and AgriStudies, an agriculture capacity-building institution based in Israel, has started the recruitment process of the third batch of Ghanaian agricultural graduates for an 11-month attachment programme in Israel.

The graduates, who have completed a three-month training in the greenhouse technology with AGRITOP Ghana Ltd, an Israeli company in Ghana, will be shortlisted and the successful candidates will be attached to cooperative farms in Israel called Kibbutz, where they will work on the field for five days and be in the classroom for another day.

How it came about

The internship programme is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the governments of Ghana and Israel under which Ghanaian agricultural graduates who have successfully completed a three-month training with AGRITOP Ghana Ltd are selected for the hands-on programme.

The programme began in 2018 with 50 participants but that number was increased to 70 in 2019 based on the excellent performance of the first batch.

Currently, the second batch of 70 graduates are undergoing the internship in Israel and are expected to be back in September this year.

In May 2018, while in Israel, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, met with his Israeli counterpart, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Uri Ariel, during a courtesy call and had to justify why Ghana should be given more slots as compared to other countries.

Ghana’s slot

By all standards, this is an achievement Dr Akoto will take credit for due to his instrumental role which resulted in not only the inclusion of Ghana in the programme, but also the quota given to Ghana.

Dr Akoto was able to convince his counterpart to give Ghana 50 slots for the first time, something that has never happened, according to Mr Ariel. Under normal circumstances, the first slot for every country usually is always between 15 and 30.

When Ghana was given the 50 slots, Dr Akoto assured his counterpart of the ability of the Ghanaian graduates to deliver and indeed, at the end of their sojourn, he was vindicated. At the end of their stay, the Isreali handlers adjudged a Ghanaian as the overall best among over 1,600 graduates from over 30 countries.

That led to a leap from 50 to 70 for the second batch and even though the quotas are yet to be announced, it is anticipated that the third batch would also be an increase of the second.

This programme is one of the best things that could have come the way of these beneficiaries. Apart from the exposure and skills transfer, they are also paid good money for the work on the farms every month.

Ambassadors

That is why it is important that those who are lucky to be selected every year should comport themselves while there and fly the flag of Ghana high as worthy ambassadors.

During the recruitment for the second batch in 2019, the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Shani Cooper-Zubida, advised those to be selected eventually to note that they were going to Israel as ambassadors of Ghana and, therefore, should bear in mind that they were there as representatives of Ghana.

I remember the ambassador reminding them that the sustenance of the programme depended on how they comported themselves while there, and that the programme could be terminated if anyone of them should abscond.

That is the crux of the matter and the MoFA should put in clauses that hold the parents and guardians responsible for any such act of the beneficiaries as Ghana risks losing its slot to such actions.

I was happy to hear that parents of the 2019 batch were made to sign an undertaking. That is a good step and I commend the ministry for that initiative.

Third batch

At a brief ceremony last Thursday before the recruitment exercise for the third batch, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Horticulture, Mr Kennedy Osei Nyarko, cautioned the would-be beneficiaries to be mindful of their actions while in Israel.

He urged those who would be selected to stay focused and work hard to earn enough money to come back to establish themselves and make a better living and cautioned them against absconding once they got to Israel.

For her part, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Israel in Ghana, Ms Shani Rapaport Etsiony, said the programme, which was part of the good bilateral relationship between the Israeli Government and her Ghanaian counterparts served as an opportunity to pass on the knowledge and technology acquired to their fellow farmers while establishing their own farm enterprises upon their return.

The Chief Executive Officer of AgroStudies, Mr Yaron Tamir, reminded those to be selected to be truthful with whatever information they would be providing, especially on their health status, before departing for Israel for the 11-month internship programme.

The National Coordinator of the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP), Mr Klutse Kudomor, reminded those to be selected to ensure that all the relevant documents and items required of them were available on request.