The Abia State government and the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State have commenced exploration on areas of collaboration for agribusiness development and Youth empowerment.

This move is reportedly in line with Governor Alex Otti led administration’s plan to train and engage youths in various aspects of agriculture that would positively impact food production in the state.

To actualise this, the state Ministry of Agriculture led by its Commissioner, Dr. Clif Agbaeze, undertook a fact-finding mission to the university’s Agri-business Incubation Centre, which has Dr Philips Nto, as the Director .

The visit was to inspect the training facilities and assess the University’s readiness and capacity to collaborate with the ministry, to conduct an intensive training exercise for Abia Youths, in various agricultural components.

The areas of focus include – fish production, processing, and utilisation, open field farming, greenhouse and screen house technologies, food processing and value addition, as well as livestock production among others.

According to the ministry, the visit to the university was also meant to assess the Agribusiness Incubation Centre to confirm it’s in position to train and equip the youths with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in agriculture.

It was learnt that after their training, the youths will be equipped for entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in agriculture with a view to enhancing food security and economic development in the state.

Speaking during the ministry’s team visit, the Director in charge of the Incubation Centre, Dr Nto, assured the Commissioner and his team of the University’s readiness to conduct a top-notch training exercise.

According to Nto, the training will leverage on the relevant manpower at their disposal, assuring that the Ministry of Agriculture and the institution are committed to working together to achieve the goals.