Tumu: A third cohort of twenty-three out-of-school youth in the Sissala East Municipality from several communities have received intensive training in business and financial management tailored towards agribusiness. Mr. Aloysius Kanchog, the Executive Director of the Tumu Deanery Rural Integrated Development Programme (TUDRIDEP), said it was an initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment and low financial literacy in rural communities.

According to Ghana News Agency, the program seeks to increase financial knowledge among young farmers to see farming as a lucrative source of employment. Mr. Kanchog made these remarks at the end of a two-day workshop organized by TUDRIDEP at Tumu, with support from the KGL Foundation.

Participants were taken through key areas such as basic bookkeeping, savings culture, cost-benefit analysis, record keeping in rabbit and poultry rearing, and access to microfinance options. The Executive Director explained that the program was part of a broader vision to empower out-of-school youth with practical skills to ensure long-term self-reliance.

‘We are not only training them to rear but to run agribusinesses sustainably,’ he said. With continued support, beneficiaries were expected not only to create jobs for themselves but also to contribute to food security and stimulate rural economic growth.

For many of the young men and women, the training marked a turning point in their lives. Madam Hamida Sulemani, a 23-year-old beneficiary, said, ‘I used to think rearing was only about housing and feeding the animals and birds, but now I understand how to plan, keep records, and even save for expansion. I have already started my rabbit farm with support from TUDRIDEP and KGL Foundation.’

Mr. Theophilus Akoba, the Municipal Director of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), who facilitated some sessions, underscored the importance of entrepreneurship, urging participants to approach rearing not as subsistence but as viable business ventures that can change their lives.