AEA, Leventis Foundation to expand youths agropreneur training programs

Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

The Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) and the Leventis Foundation on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) to expand agro-entrepreneurial training for more young farmers across the country.
The Acting Managing Director of AEA, Dr. Chudi Ugwuada-Ezirigwe, his agency established by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to espouse entrepreneurship and innovative economic development has remained committed over the years in supporting ideas that promote entrepreneurial growth.
He added that AEA was partnering with the Leventis Foundation to support the present administration’s vision of improving the country’s food system and innovation that engenders economic growth.
“What we are going to be doing specifically for Leventis Foundation is to ensure that that entrepreneurial component, that entrepreneurial skill set that most farmers probably do not have, that we bring in at the point of training. To ensure these farmers are getting the right input, the training on farming and agricultural activities.
“ As you know, entrepreneurship is about risk-taking, it is about discovering, you know, a solution to problems that may emerge in business. And, of course, being creative and innovative”, Ugwuada-Ezirigwe stated.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Leventis Foundation, Dr. Hope Usieta disclosed that the MoU was designed to help graduates of the Leventis Foundation agric training institute to get more technical support for entrepreneurship.
Usieta said partnership with AEA would open more training doors for the youths who opt for agriculture and Agropreneurial ventures in all their training centers.
He said: “This MOU signing ceremony that we see here today is centered around building the capacity of the Leventis Foundation agricultural graduates in enterprise development.
“ So what it means is that the Abuja Enterprise Agency will be coming to our centers every year to train across different modules on enterprise development. So this, we believe, will better prepare the agribusiness graduates in their quest to become entrepreneurs.
“ So with the robust training from Abuja Enterprise Agency and our skill and our quality training in agricultural production, that includes crop production and agroforestry, livestock production, farm mechanization, and enterprise development.
“We believe with this combined force, these trainees will have the best of both worlds going into their choosing career”.