The Center For Food, Technology and Research (CEFTER), Benue State University (BSU) Makurdi has awarded N600,000 to each of the Eleven young entrepreneurs who are Committed to help farmers in the control of post- harvest loses
Leader of the Center, Dr. Barnabas Ikyo who disclosed this during the presentation of cheques to beneficiaries at the Varsity’s Senate Chambers explained that the young entrepreneurs were carefully selected across the by country by experts.
Dr. Ikyo informed that N7.2m out of the N15m earmarked for the project was shared among the beneficiaries while the remaining balance was split to cover other aspects that will help them to start on a good note which includes three months training, among others.
The event according to him, was jointly organized by CEFTER BSU, United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), Accelerated Lab and Bai Hub to engage the minds of young persons to make them become employers of labour.
He said, “the criteria for selecting beneficiaries was made open for entrepreneurs across Africa however the 1200 persons that applied were only Nigerians who saw the need to apply and follow the process, we also hired expert to do the selection with their own professional criteria and at the end, 11 names were shortlisted”
He said, “the focus of this project is how we can engage young talented minds in agriculture especially in the area of controlling post-harvest losses in West and Central Africa, and for this, we have been training young persons in the past 5-7 years, so now we have move from the class room into the community and Market and we are trying to see how this approach of empowering young entrepreneurs can practically put an end to post harvest loses.
Dr Ikyo further advised young persons who loitering around as beggars and thugs to grab the available opportunities which he said will not cost them anything to access funds to develop and established themselves.
Earlier the Vice Chancellor, Benue State University Makurdi Prof. Joe-Tor Iorapuu who commended CEFTER for their move to take youths off the streets and as well put smiles on the faces of Farmers said, the purpose of every institution is to grow young people and BSU will not be an exception, so for us, we want to grow and established young minds within and outside the Country”
“What you saw today is the manifestation of a process which started with a step. Various steps are now being taken towards achieving our target goals of empowering the young generation to be self reliant”
There is an African proverb which says, “if you want to grow riches in one year, grow rice, in ten years, grow trees but if you want to grow riches that can be passed from generation to generation, grow young persons” so what we are trying to do here is growing young minds to grow generations”
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