Landelijke organisatie

Horticulture in Ghana for a brighter future

28 oktober 2021

Redactie openresearch.amsterdam

This project is a Ghanaian-Dutch cooperation to bring about a growth in the Ghanaian horticulture sector. The TU Delft together with the Kwadaso Agricultural College will develop a 6-months vocational training program in the agricultural sector in close collaboration with a selection of lead farmers and agricultural companies in Kumasi, Ghana. During this training the participants will learn all the necessary skills needed to become successful in the horticultural scene in Ghana as an entrepreneur (e.g. crop information, management skills, business development etc.) as well as obtain the necessary skills to become employed at one of the horticulture farms or companies in Ghana.

The horticultural production (fruits and vegetables) is a market of increasing interest and potential. The two non-profit knowledge institutes, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and the Kwadoso Agricultural College, will work closely with Holland Green Tech. Holland Green Tech is a social enterprise active in Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya. This partnership, public-private, will ensure that the youth is trained according to the private sector needs and therefore matches the demand of labour that the horticulture sector in Ghana needs in order to grow and improve.

Delft Global Initiative and Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship has a mission to share its knowledge and expertise for global sustainable development. This is simply impossible without education, hence the increased international involvement in developing and supporting educational and training programs on varies subjects. For the specific set of horticultural knowledge and skills needed, the private sector parties in Ghana will play a central role.

Training for who?

Young people who want to study horticulture and who like to find employment in the horticulture sector of Ghana, either as an entrepreneur/farmer or employed at an agricultural company/farm. Next to the group of graduates, a selection of agricultural companies are directly targeted by this action since they will directly benefit from suitably skilled new employees.

What type of activities?

Formulation and implementation of a TVET training program (6-months), tailor-made blended learning program for a job in the horticulture sector in Ghana (either as an entrepreneur or employed at a farm or company). This program will be formulated and implemented by Ghanaian lead farmers with support from a Dutch-Ghanaian team; expected start date of the first batch by July 2020;
Training of trainers at the Kwadaso Agricultural College and the lead farmers in Ghana (including entrepreneurship training for students, farmers and other interested participants);
Facilitation of job placement through close collaboration between the Kwadaso Agricultural College and the European and Ghanaian private sector;
Raising awareness on the potential of the Ghanaian horticulture sector and contributing to the economic development of the horticulture sector.

Source: TU Delft - Horticulture in Ghana for a brighter future