One hundred and fifty youths in Anambra state, who have been trained on Table Fish Production Business, were on Tuesday, presented with Certificates of Training.
The four-month training was organized by the ECOWAS, with support from the Anambra State Government, through the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency, FABDA.
In line with the implementation of the ECOWAS regional strategy to support the employability and entrepreneurship of young people in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector in ECOWAS member states, the ECOWAS had provided a grant of 58,768 US dollars, to fund the training.
Presenting the certificates to the trained persons, the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, who represented Governor Chukwuma Soludo at the ceremony, said the governor is bringing about an industrial, agricultural, and human capital revolution in Anambra State.
He said in the past two years, the state has done a lot of focused development on the youths, who constitute over 60 percent of the state population.
“Through the state Small Business Agency, ASBA, we are providing start-up capital to businesses and I encourage you the trained persons, to organize yourselves in cooperatives to be able to access financial support from the ASBA.
“Today, a lot of development partners are interested in partnering with the state, because of the structured manner in which the state government manages human capacity development.
“So, I want to commend the ECOWAS for the support to drive the project. And also the FABDA for the great work you are doing.
“For you beneficiaries of this training, as pioneers, you have a duty to transmit the knowledge garnered down to their communities, in a systematic manner, so that more people will benefit,” he advised.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse congratulates the FABDA) and the Table Fish Production (Awka) Cooperative Society Ltd, which was selected as one of the twenty-five Centres in the fifteen ECOWAS Countries and one of the four Centres in Nigeria to which the ECOWAS Commission has granted subsidies to train young people.
She explained that the training was consistent with the broader ECOWAS vision to move from an ECOWAS of States to an “ECOWAS of peoples: peace and prosperity for all” by 2050.
She said: “To achieve this, the ECOWAS Management, under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, adopted four strategic objectives for the four-year mandate from 2022 to 2026.
“The mandates, are to strengthen regional peace and security, deepen regional integration, promote good governance and promote inclusive sustainable development to stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities and promote food security.
“The agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector is particularly important to this vision, and falls within the scope of Objective 4, offering considerable potential for creating sustainable jobs for men, women and young people, strengthening food security and promoting rural development.
“To the beneficiaries, by receiving your certificates today, you become Ambassadors of change in your community.
“I encourage you to apply the knowledge you have acquired to bring innovation and to actively contribute to the growth of the fishing industry in your country and in our region.
“ECOWAS remains committed to supporting such initiatives and to creating the enabling environment for young entrepreneurs to flourish in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sectors.”
Earlier in his address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FABDA and training coordinator, Engr Emeka Iloghalu revealed that the journey started in 2023 with a rigorous process of selection, with professional standards to guide the training, noting that the trainees were taken through the rudiments of the business of Table Fish Production, highlighting the important elements that drive business.
According to him, during the training, we were able to co-opt some strong and reliable industry as a panel of evaluators, to access what the various business groups had done, especially during the practical sessions.
“The terms of reference we had with ECOWAS was to train the youths with no provision to give them money.
“We, however, aligned this program with the state’s vision to produce 51 million kg per annum of tablefish to be self-sufficient and this requires serious human capital which is not easy to come by because it requires training.
“So, this training came in very handy and we have utilized it and blended it with the state’s objective of 51 million kg per annum. So, we prepared these young people to form cooperatives.
“As we speak, they all have their cooperatives registrations. So the business groups that we used for the training, now transformed to form registered cooperatives that can access funds from the original arrangement of the state and other partners for small businesses.”
Iloghalu applauded Governor Soludo for the enabling environment he provided, and his interest in youth development as a strategy for human capital and economic development, without which he noted, that the training would not have been possible.
For her part, Dr Njideka Chiekezie, the Rector of the Anambra State Polytechnic, where the training happened, said the institution is proud to be keying into the vision of the state government for youth empowerment and development.
Presentation of certificates to the 150 learners as well as a tour of the Table Fish Production (Awka) Cooperative Society Ltd facility by the Deputy Governor and other members of the state executive council formed the highpoint of the ceremony.
