CSIR-SRI TRAINS 38 YOUTH IN BIOFERTILIZER PRODUCTION

In an effort to address unemployment in Ghana, 38 young people from different regions of the country participated in ECOWAS youth training on Biofertilizer production and business development. The training was held at the Soil Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SRI) in Kwadaso, Kumasi from October 24 to 26, 2023.

The program’s themes were soil health and biofertilization, Biofertilizer production, and Biofertilizer production in agriculture as a business. These themes demonstrate the commitment to sustainable agriculture, economic empowerment, and community well-being. The primary objective of this training is to equip the youth with the knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit needed to produce and use Biofertilizers to improve the agricultural sector.

Apart from practical training in Biofertilizer production, the trainees also received insights into the business aspect of this venture. They learned about business planning, market analysis, financial management, and regulatory framework for Biofertilizers. Trainees acquired both technical and strategic skills to produce Biofertilizers.

Dr. Edward Yeboah, Director of CSIR-SRI, stated that exploring and cultivating knowledge can reduce unemployment in Ghana at the 3-day ECOWAS YOUTH Training on Bio-fertilizer Production and Business Development in Kwadaso, Kumasi. “We have looked at many fertilizers on the Ghanaian market, and when you analyze them and look at the nutrient composition of our farmyard manure, the ones that come from our environment are higher in terms of nutrients than the ones that we import from foreign countries, and we would rather spend money to buy foreign fertilizers. They might look good, but our farm manure is better in terms of nutrients,” he said.

Dr.Fuseini Issaka, a Research Scientist at the Soil Research Institute and the lead facilitator of the training, mentioned that Biofertilizers are going to contribute to the increase in rice production. Biofertilizers can enhance rice production, especially Azola. Azola is a Biofertilizer widely available in the country and scientifically proven to enhance rice production.

“We are equipping these youths with these technologies so that they can go into mass production,” he said. The African Union Commission funded the training, which was supported by the government of Ghana through the ECOWAS Commission.

All trainees were awarded a certificate of participation.