Nigeria youths, will join youths from 14 other Africa countries to be trained on cassava processing, by the Brazil-Africa Institute (BAI) and the Africa Development Bank(AFDB) under the initiative Youth Technical Training Program (YTTP).
The trainees between the age 18- 35 will receive a two-month training on the production chain of cassava at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) − a state-owned centre in Brazil.
YTTP sponsored under the South–South Cooperation Trust Fund (SSCTF), the youths will be groomed consist on different professional development schemes to meet diverse needs of African countries by utilizing Brazil’s technology, skills and knowledge to boost Africa local capacity development.
The first batch of the YTTP training, which was flagged off at the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, targets 30 young African professionals of the cassava value-chain.
Speaking at the launch of the President of the Brazil Africa Institute, João Bosco Monte, was optimistic that the trainees will be groomed on processing and skills needed for cassava production at the end of the two months training.
Bosco Monte said the dream of his Institute was to work with AfDB to increase the number of participants for the cassava processing training to at least 300 in the coming years.
“This is just the beginning,” he assured.
The Bank’s Director of Agriculture and Agro-Industries, Chiji Ojukwu, explained that the first batch of cassava processing trainees would be for two months.
“The development of the cassava training programme is one of the many programmes of ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth Program of the AfDB. There will be more of such programmes to be developed with the Brazil Africa Institute,” he said.
The Minister of Youth and Employment of Côte d’Ivoire, Sidi Touré, described the YTTP as important to Africa, stressing how the country would tap from the knowledge of Ivorian participants.
“I am optimistic that this programme will change the fortune of African youths,” he added.
The Director General of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nteranya Sangina, urged the trainees to tap into the expertise available in Brazil and prepare to contribute to making cassava a crop for food security in Africa.
He recalled how, as Nigeria’s Minister, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina moved aggressively on import substitution with the use of cassava flour for composite flours in bread-making and confectionery industries.
“Brazil has several products processed from cassava. When you get to there, study and acquire knowledge of modern technologies as much as you can,” he charged the 30 YTTP trainees.
“My dream is to have greater collaborations between young Brazilians and young African in the cassava processing sector.
