MTN Foundation, UG partner to establish centre of excellence in vegetable farming

The Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana, Adjoa Afriyie Wiafe, has announced that the MTN Ghana Foundation has partnered the University of Ghana to establish a vegetable centre of excellence.

The partnership was an effort to support national development priorities in agriculture, while equipping the next generation with the skills to become entrepreneurs and job creators.

That, she said, would provide practical training for students and young people, promote modern farming methods and create sustainable jobs.

Project

Speaking at the MTN vegetable centre of excellence launch, Mrs Wiafe explained that the facility, situated on five acres of land provided by the university, was designed as a model to promote mechanised and eco-friendly farming practices.

“This is going to be a Centre of Excellence not only for Accra but for the entire country and even for people outside to come here and learn about modern practices. We are looking at digital farming, mechanised tools and proper agronomic methods,” she said.

Mrs Wiafe added that the MTN Foundation considered the project part of its commitment to support national priorities, particularly tackling youth unemployment.

“Young people are looking for jobs, but there are very few opportunities in the formal sector. Agric is a good way for them to create their own jobs and become entrepreneurs,” she said.

Opportunities, practical learning

Mrs Wiafe revealed that 300 students were expected to be trained within a three-month cycle, with plans to expand to include other interested groups such as unemployed youth and smallholder farmers.

Mrs Wiafe said the initiative included a training-of-trainers programmed to sustain the project.

She further explained that the centre would be powered by solar energy in line with MTN’s environmental strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

Mrs Wiafe stressed the importance of practical exposure for agriculture students, adding that “it is better to see some things in practice than to read them from books. This centre is critical for students to connect their theory with real-life farming experiences.”

She expressed optimism that the centre would produce a harvest before its launch later this year.

Role

The co-founder of the Farmer’s Aid Movement, Charles Agyemang, explained that his organisation provided technical expertise for the project alongside the MTN Foundation and the University of Ghana.

“Our role here is to train the next generation of Ghanaian farmers, with emphasis on innovation.

We are introducing drip irrigation systems, automatic irrigation and mechanised land preparation,” he said.

Mr Agyemang said the youth were more attracted to farming when technology was involved, adding that “young people today don’t want to use hoes and cutlasses.

If you invite them to the farm, some element of tech must be involved, and that’s what we are doing here.” 

Programme

He said the two-year pilot project initially targeted 300 beneficiaries, including students, unemployed youth, and women groups, and he was hopeful of training about 1000 people by the end of the year due to the interest the project had generated.

He said the location of the centre on campus would make it convenient for students to access, eliminating transportation barriers that sometimes hinder internships.

“Our expectation is that agriculture will become more attractive to young people.

By the time they complete their studies, they will have the knowledge and experience to start their own businesses instead of competing for limited corporate jobs,” he said.

Mr Agyemang explained that lettuce had been chosen as the first crop for training because of its short germination period.

“Within a month, students can see the results of their work and gain confidence in what they are doing,” he said.