ADVERTISEMENT
RADP / Pulse Ghana  >  news  >  business

4.4k employment opportunities for extension officers in Ghana

Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh

The Minister of Food and Agriculture has Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said the extension officers when employed will help enhance government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme when it takes off.

___6446895___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___6446895___2017___3___29___16___1.10907089
___6446895___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___6446895___2017___3___29___16___1.10907089

The sector Minister Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto made this revelation at a symposium on the 2017 budget statement organised by the Private Enterprise Federation and GIMPA in Accra on Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

“If you come to the Ministry of Agriculture, there is supposed to be 4,400 vacant positions for extension officers. As I speak to you now, we don’t even have 2,600 and out of that 80 percent of them are going on retirement in the next two, three years. So there is the total decimation of the extension service."

READ ALSO: 'One District-One Factory' may collapse - Christian Council

ADVERTISEMENT

He explained the extension officers are needed to enhance the link between technology and the farmers.

"And the extension service is the link between technology and the farmer, so if you remove that, it means that the farmer is being cut off from technology and you know we have small holdings and therefore the technology to favour the farmers will be technology that will be in the hands of the farmer and when he is being supervised to apply it, then you will get the maximum out of it,”  he said.

“Over 1,500 graduates have come out of our five agricultural colleges and are sitting home doing nothing with their [certificates]. We have employed 1,200 of them to come and as I speak to you, they are undergoing training and orientation in all the regions to be dispatched to the various districts for the work to start,” he added

READ ALSO: US$1.8bn Cocoa Syndicated loan 'all gone' - Hackman

He said this will be to help government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme when it takes off.

ADVERTISEMENT

The ministry has employed 1,500 extension officers to be dispatched across the country to assist with the programme. This implies that some more extension officers will be employed to help with the project.

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

Get rewards worth up to $20 when selected to participate in our exclusive focus group. Your input will help us to make informed decisions that align with your needs and preferences.

I've got feedback!
Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh A feminist at heart and a lover of art. She loves to write on business, politics and health.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh

ADVERTISEMENT