ACCRA (The Southern African Times) – The Management of Golden Sunbeam Technology Valley (GSTV), a Ghanaian-owned company, has initiated an innovative and ambitious business investment in the Agribusiness industry worth three million dollars to train youth in work-based skills to transform and empower them to meet the food needs of the populace.
According to Mr Emmanuel Ohene Opare, the Chairman of GSTV, the agribusiness project is expected to create over one (1) thousand jobs within the short to medium term, grow the national economy and provide sustainable returns for investors or donors.
Providing details at the launch in Accra, Mr Ohene Opare explained that the total cost of the Project is $3million and in three product lines – Piggery, Aquaculture and Greenhouse vegetable farming situated at Ayi Kumah in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region and Essam, near Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region.
The Company has already invested $1million dollars to acquire 50 acres titled land, secured it with a 1.6-kilometre wall, fully gated with CCTV cameras installed overseeing the whole land.
In addition, it has procured over 120 KVA off-grid solar equipment to mitigate the risk of electricity failure, sunk boreholes with solar pumps to provide water for the project.
In order to boost its Fish farming initiative, it has constructed an initial 20 ponds for tilapia and catfish production.
The additional funding of $2million is expected to expand the project particularly in the areas of Greenhouse Farming technology, fish processing and canning machinery and other infrastructural works.
“We have had to resort to crowdfunding to drive this ambitious agribusiness initiative because of its relatively low cost and to give as many global citizens the opportunity to create wealth and jobs within the agribusiness value chain” Mrs Monica Ohene Opare, the CEO of Golden Sunbeam Technology Valley, further explained as the reason for using the Crowdfunding platform.
According to Mrs Opare, Global investors in the project are not only contributing to developing the agricultural value chain ecosystem and creating jobs for thousands of people but will also earn a decent 25% return on their investment (in GHC) per annum for a minimum period of 3 years.
She urged the government to support such patriotic initiatives with tax reliefs and other incentives to enable more entrepreneurs to venture into the agricultural sector.
“We intend to engage Ghana Exim Bank, NEIP and Ustart Program for the necessary support” she intimated.
The crowdfunding campaign is expected to begin on December 1, 2021, and end on January 31, 2022.
The minimum amount to invest is GHC 1000 and the maximum is GHC 20,000 for a tenure of 3 years minimum.
A media campaign is expected to be launched on social media and national daily platforms shortly to promote the crowdfunding drive.
Mrs Monica Opare encouraged donors and investors to support such worthy projects for the benefit of millions of people as more youth are expected to be trained to acquire practical skills in greenhouse farming, aquaculture and piggery to grow the agricultural value chain Industry and deepen food security within the sub-region.
“Hardworking interns will be supported with work-based skill training as paid interns in production, processing and marketing of the various projects to start their own business as outgrowers for the main project on the main campus”.
