Puzuri Group of Companies has entered into a strategic partnership with the National Service Scheme (NSS) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a significant move towards advancing agricultural productivity and youth employment.
This partnership aims to deploy and develop National Service Personnel (NSP) within the agricultural sector under the framework of the Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (Happy) project.
Puzuri Group of Company, renowned for its innovation and excellence across agriculture, logistics, and construction, is poised to make a substantial impact by training and grooming over 5,000 NSP in agricultural practices.
In his remarks at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday at the Scheme’s headquarters in Accra, the Executive Director of the Puzuri Group, Abdul-Rahaman Yahaya, stressed that it was a significant move towards advancing agricultural productivity and youth employment.
This, he indicated would contribute to unlocking agri-enterprise opportunities in production, mechanization services, processing, e-commerce, agri-journalism, agri-influencers, agripreneurship, and youth-led digital technologies for young Ghanaians.
Mr. Abdul Rahaman believes that the partnership will go a long way to support import substitution, ensure food and nutritional security, and attract and retain graduate youth into greenhouse agriculture and its value chain.
He emphasised the readiness of his company to spearhead greenhouse farming activities, particularly in the southern region.
‘‘We are ready to support the youth of this country in the fields with green house farming activities. Puzuri Group of Companies will do this knowing that many NSP stand a chance of acquiring the requisite skills needed for agri-entrepreneurs,’’ he assured.
For his part, the Executive Director of NSS, Osei Assibey Antwi, was happy about the partnership. He stated that the Scheme was repositioning itself to become a real force to solve the unemployment challenge in the country.
He indicated that through this partnership, the skills acquired by the personnel during their service would go a long way to prepare them to establish their own businesses, or be well prepared for the job market.
“This partnership aligns with broader national development goals, including job creation, innovation in agriculture, and youth empowerment. It leverages the strengths of both organizations to provide meaningful opportunities for NSP and contribute to the overall economic growth and food security of the nation. We at NSS support this project fully,” he stressed.
He indicated NSS’s role in advocating for the inclusion of NSP in critical projects like the Happy initiative. This collaboration, according to Osei Assibey, extends beyond administrative leadership to operational teams.
“I laud the initiative and recognise its potential to catalyse transformative change. The joint efforts of the Puzuri Group and NSS will set a new standard for public-private partnerships in Ghana’s quest for sustainable development in the field of agriculture,” he said.
The Deputy Director in Charge of Operations at NSS, Kwaku Ohene Djan, touched on the significance of this partnership in expanding opportunities for youth across all regions.
He highlighted plans to implement greenhouse farming initiatives in the Berekum East area, particularly focusing on mentoring high school students.
The Director of Inclusion at NSS, Dr. Elizabeth L.B. Zotorvie, indicated the inclusive nature of greenhouse farming, noting its suitability for women and physically challenged persons.
She added that the scheme is committed to leveraging this partnership to fulfil its mandate of youth development and agricultural innovation.
‘‘The Happy project, anchored by Puzuri’s expertise and NSS’s network, aims to not only train and deploy NSP but also promote sustainable agricultural practices that enhance productivity. I believe that by integrating greenhouse farming into their NSS operations, the initiative will create new avenues for youth employment and skills development,” she mentioned.
Greenhouse farming is a broad term that involves various types of sheltered structures. This type of farming occurs in a dome or square-like structure that allows a farmer to grow crops, especially vegetables—including tomato, sweet pepper, strawberry, broccoli, cauliflower cucumber, green beans—in a controlled environment.
In the greenhouse, the farmer controls the elements of production under partial or fully controlled environmental conditions to get optimum growth and productivity. The key elements which the farmer may control include the greenhouse temperature, the amount of light, the system of irrigation (drip or rain gun, or sprinkle), fertilizer application, and atmospheric humidity.
Story By: Alhassan Yakubu |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.
