Persons in agribusiness, entrepreneurship, youth and student groups, workers in aquaculture and fisheries, fish processors, and extension officers are undergoing a short course in Fish Processing Technology at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD, Somanya, Eastern Region.
The five-day intensive training programme, is being organised by the Nkabom Collaborative-UESD in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and McGill University. The initiative seeks to equip young people between 18 and 35 years with practical skills in fish processing, preservation, branding, food safety, and aquaculture entrepreneurship. Participants are drawn from communities across parts of the Eastern, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Volta, and Upper East Regions.
Welcoming the trainees, on behalf of the Project Coordinator, Prof. Edward Wiafe Debrah, the Education Pillar Lead of the Nkabom Collaborative-UESD, Prof. Richard Amfo-Otu, described the exercise as an innovative intervention aimed at building capacity in aquaculture and agro-processing. He explained that UESD is implementing the Nkabom Collaborative project together with local partners, including KNUST, Ashesi University, KTU, UHAS, and the Association of Ghana Industries.
He noted that UESD’s focus areas under the collaborative include agro-waste technology, aquaculture, entrepreneurship, and student access and success initiatives. “You are the first cohort of trainees and are privileged to be part of this innovative training programme. Learn as much as you can and also share your experiences so that the programme benefits everyone,” he stated.
The Vice-Chancellor of UESD and Principal Investigator of the Nkabom Collaborative-UESD project, Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson, underscored the University’s commitment to empowering the youth through practical and entrepreneurial training. He explained that the programme was specifically designed to support young people under 35 years to acquire employable skills and create sustainable livelihoods for themselves.
Prof. Nyarko-Sampson emphasised that the programme is highly practical and urged participants to take the training seriously and make the most of the expertise of the facilitators. “This is a hands-on programme with both theory and practical components. Everybody facilitating this programme has a wealth of experience and has been carefully selected to train you,” he said.
The project’s Aquaculture Lead, Dr. Christian Larbi Ayisi, outlined the programme’s objectives and training modules. He explained that participants would receive practical exposure to post-harvest handling, fish spoilage prevention, preservation techniques, branding, marketing, and fish-smoking technologies. They would also undertake hands-on sessions in fish smoking at Atimpoku during the training.
Adding that the programme also seeks to prepare participants for export-oriented fish processing by introducing them to international food safety standards and hazard analysis principles. “You should not only process fish for local markets. You should think beyond and target international markets where standards and branding are very important,” he advised.
In separate interviews, the participants expressed optimism that the training would enhance their skills, improve the quality of their fish processing activities, and create new opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship within their communities.
During the five-day training, participants will be taken through modules including Harvesting and Handling Techniques and Traditional and Modern Processing Methods by Rahmat Quagraine Duker; Fish Spoilage and Preservation Principles by Dr. Christian Larbi Ayisi; Quality Control in Fish Processing by Grace Afumwaa Boamah; Food Safety Standards and Hygiene by Gertrude Dzifa Mensah; Marketing and Supply Chain Considerations by Mathias N. Napara; and Principles of Fish Smoking II, Value Addition and Product Development, Storage and Packaging by Doris Hagan.
Kindly click to watch the participants interviews >> HERE