The Africa Projects Development Project (APDC) yesterday 15th April, launched an opening ceremony for a training program: the European Commission financed HealthyDiets4Africa (HD4A) Cohort 2. Developed in collaboration with prestigious partners like the European Union Commission, African Development Bank Group, African Agribusiness Incubators Network (AAIN), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), among others, these programs aim to tackle unemployment and malnutrition, two of Africa’s most pressing challenges for its young population. These initiatives directly contribute to achieving the SDG Goals by 2030.
Targeted at young people, the programs emphasize discipline, dedication to hands-on training at the demonstration facility, and leveraging the expertise of trainers and mentors to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to become successful agripreneurs.
Dr. Chiji Ojukwu, the Managing Director, APDC, in his welcome address, encouraged trainees to be focused, and disciplined and to actively contribute to the projects’ success. He reminded them that they should count themselves lucky to be selected among the 38,000 who applied for the very few places open to these initiatives.
Mr. Maaruf Yakub, the Multinational SYMUF Project Coordinator covering Uganda, the DRC, & Nigeria, and the Centre’s Director of Programmes Policy and Partnerships, commended the new trainees on their remarkable achievements. He emphasized the Centre’s expectations for dedication and responsible utilization of the program to deliver results and become successful agripreneurs.
Ms. Amaka Chime, the HD4A Living Lab Coordinator at the Centre, highlighted the program’s interdisciplinary nature. With over 12 partners in Africa and nine in Europe, it includes specialists in communication, educational institutions, and youth incubation hubs. She expressed hope that the project empowers other nutrition actors like canteens and schools, ultimately contributing to the diversification of Africa’s food systems. Additionally, she emphasized the robust curriculum of the project, which also covers risk management and malnutrition.
The full article is available here: https://apdcgroup.org/blog/apdc-opening-ceremony-for-hd4a-cohort-2-and-symuf-cohort-4
