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The second edition of the AgroFusion Festival officially opens today in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua.
The annual festival will feature a series of events, including a summit, an exhibition, launch of a book, and an awards ceremony celebrating young innovators in the Agribusiness and Agriculture Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) sectors.
The AgroFusion Festival is part of the Ghana Grows Programme, an initiative of Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with the Springboard Road Show Foundation.
FLASHBACK: Some participants displaying their products
Ghana Grows aims to inspire young people aged from 15 to 35, including persons with disabilities, to pursue fulfilling careers in agriculture, agribusiness and ATVET.
The festival will serve as a platform to highlight innovations, products and services in these sectors, while changing the negative mindsets that many young people have about these sectors.
The inaugural edition of AgroFusion at the University of Ghana Athletics Oval in Accra last year brought together hundreds of young people with a focus on expanding access to markets and creating valuable networking opportunities.
This year’s edition, slated for the Jubilee Park in Koforidua, will build on that foundation, with the summit bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, ecosystem actors and young innovators for engaging policy discussions.
In a statement preceding the Festival, the Executive Director of Springboard Road Show Foundation, Comfort Ocran, emphasised the expanded nature of this year’s event.
"The unique addition this year is the launch of 200 impact stories and an awards ceremony aimed at throwing light on exceptional young innovators from across the country.
“Our focus remains empowering the youth to view agriculture, agribusiness, technical and vocational sectors as viable and rewarding career paths and not second choice options for the uneducated and rural poor," Mrs Ocran added.
The two-day summit will provide a unique space for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and industry experts to collaborate and discuss key policy issues affecting young women and young men in agriculture, agribusiness and ATVET.
It is aimed at amplifying the voices of young innovators by spotlighting their achievements, while addressing the ecosystem support required to help them scale up their efforts.
The exhibition will feature a diverse range of agriculture and ATVET products, services, and innovations from young entrepreneurs across the country. It will also serve as a marketplace for networking and potential business collaborations.
One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the launch of Changing Narratives, a book inspired by the mission of the Ghana Grows Programme. The publication aims to reshape mindsets around agriculture and ATVET by highlighting 200 real-life stories of young women, young men and persons with disability who are thriving in these sectors.
It seeks to challenge the long-held perceptions of agriculture as a purely low-income, labour-intensive field and demonstrates that with resilience, discipline, and creativity, success is achievable even with limited resources.
The crowning moment of the AgroFusion Festival will be the Young Innovators Awards, which will see the unveiling of 10 finalists selected from across the country, for their significant contributions to the agriculture, agribusiness, and ATVET sectors.
The climax of the festival will see three outstanding young innovators being awarded for their outstanding work in the three sectors.
For their prize, the three overall winners will tour Kenya, meet compatriots in agribusiness, exchange ideas to help scale up their operations, and inspire other youth to follow their lead.
A special award will be presented to KEAD, an innovative project by students of Aburi Girls Robotics Club.
The AgroFusion Festival, which is open to he public, will sign off with an exciting entertaining show featuring Kuami Eugene, Lasmid, Byno Ayoni, Dope Nation, DWP Academy, Adelaide De Seer, Meraki Arts, and other talented performers from Koforidua and its environs.
AgroFusion 2024 is inspired by the National Farmers Day celebration.
