The Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) has reaffirmed its dedication to assist the West African sub-region in achieving food security.
Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the ECOWAS Commission, reiterated this commitment during a convocation ceremony held yesterday for 150 youths from Anambra State who were trained by ECOWAS in the table fish production business.
Addressing the trainees at Anambra State Polytechnic in Mgbakwu, Toure-Litse emphasized that by participating in the training, the youths had committed themselves to contributing to the collective effort of enhancing food security in the West African sub-region.
She said, “We celebrate a significant moment like this. Today, we are handing out certificates to young trainees in the table fish production business. This is one of the four centers in Nigeria for which ECOWAS provided subsidies for this training.
“Your presence today shows your desire to contribute to food security in Nigeria and the region. It is ECOWAS’s dream to champion food security in the region, and fish is a major component of our food value chain.
“His Excellency, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, has a strategy for his four-year mandate, and promoting good governance and food security is part of that strategy.
“We believe this training will create sustainable jobs for youths and also enhance food security in the region.”
The training program, funded by the ECOWAS Commission, was a collaborative effort between the Commission and the Anambra State Government. It was conducted with the support of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency (FABDA), an agency under the Anambra State Government.
Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim, the Deputy Governor of the state, also attended the convocation and emphasized the state government’s commitment to economic revitalization and youth training initiatives.
He said, “We thank ECOWAS for this training, and we believe the pioneer trainees will be the millionaires produced from fish farming. We have mapped out funds to empower these trainees.
“We urge the trainees to approach the Anambra State Small Business Agency (ASBA). The assurance the government of Governor Charles Soludo is giving to enterprising youths in the state is that it is committed to ensuring they are empowered with training and seed funds to ensure their prosperity.”
