Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), has trained 30 people under its Agripreneurship Development Training to facilitate emergence new generation of youths and women entrepreneurs.
The one-week training programme sponsored by the Federal Government through Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was a collaborative effort between ARMTI and McGeorge Consultants Ltd., Ilorin.
The programme attracted youths and women participants from Rivers West Senatorial District in River State.
Dr Olufemi Oladunni, Executive Director, ARMTI, during the opening ceremony of the programme, said that it was designed to equip new generation of Nigerian youths and women on Agripreneurship and business development to be self reliant.
Oladunni reiterated the need for such programmes and initiatives as a way of enhancing participants’ competency in Agricultural Productivities to boost income.
According to him, the training has the capability to impact useful knowledge and encourage agricultural investment to boost the nation’s economy.
He further advised the participants to tap into the opportunities provided by every segment of the programme as directed and tutored by the facilitators, saying that such would engender self-sufficiency and independence.
Engineer Farounbi Raphael, Managing Director, McGeorge Consulting Limited, in his remarks, said the programme was borne out of dire need of Government’s desire to equip Youth and Women with relevant skills in Agripreneurship and Business Development.
He maintained that such initiative would assist driving and transforming Agriculture to an attainable level of excellence and sustainability in Nigeria.
Raphael listed the training modules to include: Understanding the basic concept of Agripreneurship and farming as a business, Generating Business Idea as Agripreneurial skills and qualities of Agripreneurs.
Others are: Post-Harvest Handling of Cassava Roots Tubers, Integrated Farming Technique for improved livelihood as well as Developing Business Plan as Agripreneurs.
Earlier, Dr Olusola Ogunjirin, McGeorge Lead Consultant, expressed delight that the programme had recorded huge success and the desired target judging by the regular attendance and enthusiasm of the participants.
Ogunjirin in his enumeration of the programme’s reports stated that 96 per cent of the participants adjudged the training to be very satisfactory while 96.3 per cent also adjudged the training materials as helpful and effective.
“With the level of enthusiasm put on display in every segment of the training, it could be concluded that the training has achieved the set target,” he said.
