Month: July 2023

RESEARCH & EXTENSION LINKAGE COMMITTEE (RELC)

On July 19th, 2023, the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly, led by its Agric Department, successfully concluded its Research & Extension Linkage Committee (RELC) Session at Kpong Methodist Church. During the session, stakeholders such as farmers, input dealers, aggregator processors, transporters, extension officers, and research officers came together to discuss the agriculture value chain. The topics covered included constraints, challenges, potential solutions, and the way forward in the agricultural sector.

Its impact on the community is significant and multifaceted:

1. Knowledge Transfer: The RELC facilitates the exchange of knowledge and information between researchers, extension officers, and farmers. It ensures that research findings, best practices, and innovative technologies are effectively communicated to the community, enabling farmers to adopt improved agricultural techniques and technologies.

2. Improved Farming Practices: Through the RELC, extension officers can better understand the specific needs and challenges faced by farmers in the community. This understanding allows them to tailor their extension services and provide personalized advice and support, leading to the adoption of more effective and sustainable farming practices.

3. Capacity Building: The RELC organizes training programs, workshops, and demonstrations to build the capacity of farmers and other stakeholders in the community. These capacity-building initiatives enhance farmers’ skills, knowledge, and capabilities, empowering them to make informed decisions and improve their agricultural productivity.

4. Enhanced Collaboration: By bringing together various stakeholders, including farmers, input dealers, processors, and research officers, the RELC fosters collaboration and partnership among these actors. This collaboration can lead to more effective problem-solving, resource sharing, and joint initiatives that benefit the entire community.

5. Addressing Challenges: The RELC provides a platform for stakeholders to identify and discuss the constraints and challenges faced by the community in the agriculture value chain. By collectively addressing these challenges, the committee can develop targeted solutions and interventions that contribute to the overall growth and development of the community’s agricultural sector.

6. Sustainable Development: Through the RELC’s efforts, the community can adopt sustainable farming practices and technologies that promote environmental conservation and minimize negative impacts on natural resources. This contributes to the long-term sustainability of agriculture and ensures the well-being of future generations.

Overall, the Research & Extension Linkage Committee (RELC) serves as a bridge between the research community and the grassroots level, promoting knowledge dissemination, capacity building, collaboration, and sustainable development in the agricultural sector. Its activities and initiatives positively impact the livelihoods of farmers and the overall prosperity of the community.

YOUSTART GHANA JOBS AND SKILLS PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly started the Youstart Ghana Jobs and Skills Project Implementation which was held at Dangme Tongu Presbytery Conference Hall at Odumase. The implementation dates were from 8th-30th June,2023 and they have two sections for the program; basic and intermediate. They had five (5) days for Basic and ten (10) days for intermediate. The Total number of participants were seventy (70) made up of two (2) male and sixty-eight (68) females who took part in the Basic Implementation. Whereas twenty (20) participants were selected out of the seventy (70) for the intermediate Implementation. Therefore, out of twenty (20), two (2) were male, and eighteen (18) for females.
BACKGROUND
Unemployment and underemployment remain the two global development challenges, with the World Bank estimating that about 200 million youth are unemployed worldwide requiring a total of 600 million jobs over the next 15 years to maintain global employment rates. In the year 2016, it was projected in Ghana that due to the country’s growing youth population, 300,000 new jobs would have to be created each year to absorb the increasing number of unemployed young people. The table below gives an overview of the unemployment situation in Ghana.
Youth Unemployment Situation in Ghana
Overall unemployment rate in Ghana 8.4%
Youth Unemployment rate 19.7%
Ghanaian Youth Population (18yrs-35yrs) 11.7m (38.2%)
Ghanaian Youth Classified as Underemployed 50%
Graduates from only Tertiary Institution per year >109k
SHS Graduates per year 446,321
To address this challenge, the World Bank is providing financing and technical support to the Government of Ghana (GoG) for the implementation of the Ghana Jobs and Skills Projects. This project is considered as one of the main forms of support for the government’s top-priority agenda of upgrading skills among the country’s population, creating more and better quality jobs, and improving job outcomes for the youth.

INTRODUCTION
The Youstart Ghana Jobs and Skills Project is one of the flagship programs of the Government of Ghana being implemented across the country by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), with funding from the World Bank. The Project supports the Government’s prioritized skills development and job creation agenda with the objective of providing Entrepreneurship Training and Competitive Business Start-up Grants to individuals for jobs. The Project is geared to train 50,000+ youth and to provide
Target beneficiaries comprises of 50% women, Persons with Disability (PWD), unemployed youth and existing MSMEs owned by school drop outs between the ages of 18 to 40 years.
The Project comes in three (3) levels; thus the Basic, the Intermediate and the Advanced Level. At every level, you will be assessed as to ensure that you are actually starting your business, growing your business and sustaining your business.
Currently the project is at the Intermediate Level.
OBJECTIVE
The focus of this project is to provide the Youth of Ghana access to training and the tools that will help them to build, grow and sustain their businesses

MCE giving his opening remarks and addressing the participants

Opening ceremony of the 1st Cohort participants in Basic Level at the forecourt of Dangme Tongu Presbytery Conference Hall.