Nineteen Ghanaian agribusinesses have benefited from a capacity building training programme held by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).

Opening the training programme held via Google hangout, the Head of ITA for Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, Dr Alessandro Gerbino, said the E-Lab Innova training programme “is the first of a longer-term engagement programme that will also involve trade visits from Italian companies, meetings, exhibitions and other activities to boost trade cooperation between Italy and Ghana.”

“E-Lab Innova presents an opportunity for Ghanaian companies involved to benefit from the technical knowhow of their Italian counterparts and for Italian agribusiness companies to get to understand agribusiness in Ghana and to find ways to collaborate,” he said.

The E-Lab Innova educational training programme among other things seeks to help improve the technical and managerial skills of companies to be able to access the European markets.

The programme, launched in partnership with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and other Italian partners including AICS and Macfrut, also aims at fostering business partnerships with Italian companies and improving the Ghanaian value chain and local industry development and employment.

Other objectives include promoting technology transfer and innovation on the model of Italian agribusiness districts and foster opportunities for technical industrial partnerships with Italian companies.

The project is part of a greater effort put in place by Italy in Ghana to boost economic ties with Ghana, particularly in the agrobusiness area.

In all, 19 agribusiness companies from Ghana took part in the first training session including Bomarts Farms, HPW, Ropryn Company Limited, Red River Foods, GKV and Gold Coast Fruits.

Others include Ohu Farms, Maphlix Trust Ghana, Gamosa Limited, C.A.D Ghana and Prudent Exports.