Skills and technology will drive Planting Food and Jobs

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Alessandro Gerbino, West Africa Director of the Italian Trade AgencyAlessandro Gerbino, West Africa Director of the Italian Trade Agency

Government’s flagship agricultural programme Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) has clearly shown the need to prioritise value addition in the nation’s agribusiness sector, Alessandro Gerbino, West Africa Director of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), has said.

“The ability to increase value along the agricultural value chain hinges on a structured approach to skills development and technology,” he said.

Speaking at a networking event to announce ITA’s upcoming Ghana-Italy Agribusiness Digital Lab to stakeholders in the agribusiness sector, he said Italy has the right expertise and technology to support the PFJ programme.

“PJF has shown that the priority for Ghana in terms of public policy is to create more value in Ghana, and to do that you will need to upgrade capacity in terms of technology and skills. Italy’s approach to this agenda is the exact step to take; we are coming in with training and technology. There are several of these trainings that we are putting in place, and we are bringing this Digital Lab to showcase our approach to technology.”

The ITA will on June 22 organise virtual B2B meetings between Italian and Ghanaian agribusiness companies under the Digital Lab project.

It is one of several initiatives that the ITA has in place to promote both Ghanaian and Italian brands through already established connections.

According to Mr. Gerbino, the event will serve as an opportunity for Italian and Ghanaian agribusinesses to meet and discuss how they can work together for mutual benefit.

He added: “This activity is within our larger approach to Ghana. We are answering the requests by Ghanaian entrepreneurs to know more about Italian technology, with pre-selected brands that are ready to approach the Ghanaian market.”

The ITA boss commended the support from the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) and other key partners that have rallied behind the agribusiness project. The UPSA is offering an MBA in Entrepreneurship scholarship to two Ghanaian participants of the event.

“This is another opportunity for participants to benefit from the cooperation that is already in place between Italy and Ghana,” Mr. Gerbino said.

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