By Robert Adiga
A total of 99 students from refugee settlements and host communities in the West Nile region have graduated in agro-business courses at Adraa Agricultural College.
The students, who completed the four-week courses in poultry keeping, piggery, vegetable production, and apiary, were awarded certificates on Saturday at Adraa Agricultural College in Odraa village, Adraa parish, Offaka sub-county in Madi-Okollo district.
The short courses are aimed at improving the livelihoods of refugees and host communities with sustainable agricultural enterprises, which are result-oriented in nature and also a winning tool in eradicating poverty among the refugees and the host communities.
Madi-Okollo Woman Member of Parliament Joan Okia Aniku, who was the chief guest at the graduation event, commended the college for the training opportunities offered to the youth before accessing startup kits.
She said the host community youth should be used to champion the different government poverty alleviation programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) since they have attained the required knowledge.
“The Government has been pushing the program of PDM at the parish level, but I have been concerned about what the people will do with the PDM money. I have been impressed with what I am seeing here that they are trained before receiving the money and the startup kits,” she said.
“Maybe, the Government can partner with Organisations like ADRAA to see to it that the people are trained before they receive the money and I think the youth here should be followed to ensure that, they are the first to get the PDM money in the respective districts,” Okia added.
Madi Okollo Resident District Commissioner Swaib Toko said the training offered by the college is in line with the government’s vision since most people have been engaging in agriculture without adequate knowledge.
ADRAA Agricultural College principal Charles Alchem Lagu said since 2012 when the college was established, they have so far trained over 9,900 students and are training over 1,200 learners annually as a way of supporting the Government’s efforts in skilling people.
Marty Fokkink, the team leader of water for Agricultural production and promoting rural development in northern Uganda under the response to increased demand on government service and the creation of economic opportunities in Uganda, said their three-year partnership with ADRAA Agricultural College has seen 400 learners graduate with different skills.
Some of the excited learners who were awarded certificates expressed readiness to cause the necessary change in their communities by spearheading the income-generating activity from their skills as well as impacting the knowledge of other youths.
The training was undertaken with funding from GIZ.
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