A training center set up by AfricaRice to
provide vocational training to rice value chain actors was inaugurated today in
Saint Louis, Senegal, by His Excellency Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Senegal
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment.
The training center has been set up with strong
support from the Government of Senegal, the West African Economic and Monetary
Union (UEMOA) and the African Development Bank.
As an association of member states and an
international CGIAR Center, AfricaRice seeks to respond to the priorities of
its member countries on issues relating to the development of the rice sector.
One of the most pressing challenges for the African countries is youth
unemployment, which is among the main obstacles to development in the region.
The youth population in Africa is exploding. With almost 200 million people aged between 15
and 24, the continent has the world’s youngest population. And this figure is expected to double by
2045. Many rural young men and women are migrating to cities or emigrating from Africa to escape poverty.
African countries and the international
community are increasingly realizing that investing in the rural youth is vital
to reduce poverty, hunger and rural exodus.
Agriculture is an area of great opportunity
for Africa's youth. The rice sector alone could employ many of the 17 million
young people, who are entering the job market in sub-Saharan Africa each year. AfricaRice
believes that rice sector development can offer several pathways to steady
employment and entrepreneurship along the value chain.
But to achieve this, it is imperative to
enhance performance in production, processing and marketing, and overcome the severe
lack of capacity across the rice value chain in Africa.
The Center considers training as one of its
main pillars. Its capacity building activities have traditionally focused on
the professional development of national scientists and technicians involved in
rice improvement. AfricaRice has also trained farmers, seed producers and
extension workers.
In addition to these efforts, AfricaRice is
adopting a new strategy to professionalize the full range of actors in the rice
value chain and. This will help Africa to produce enough quality rice for its
population and even export to other regions in due course.
The new training center set up by AfricaRice
aims to strengthen the technical capacity of the rice value chain actors in
Africa. In addition to thematic courses on rice production, specialized modules
that promote entrepreneurship and agribusiness will be offered to participants
to help them develop profitable and competitive rice enterprises.
The training modules will focus on a range of
professions, ranging from technical advisory and extension service to
mechanical service for agricultural equipment, rice processing and marketing,
seed production and quality control and management of rice-related enterprises.
The training center is strategically located
in Saint Louis, Senegal, 15 km from the old town, which has a unique historical
charm and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Louis is also close
to the Senegal River Valley, which is Senegal’s main rice belt.
The center will greatly benefit from its
proximity to the AfricaRice Sahel Regional Station, which has excellent
laboratories and experimental fields. The Station has a team of international
rice experts, who will serve as resource persons in the training courses.
Technologies and innovation developed by AfricaRice can be easily disseminated
through the training center.
It will draw on experts from partner
organizations when necessary. It will also benefit from the presence of the Senegal
Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA), the University of Gaston Berger and
Senegal’s national organization for the development of delta (SAED), which are
based in Saint Louis.
The land for the training center of about 1
hectare was a generous gift from the Government of Senegal. The training facility
has a fully equipped conference hall, which can accommodate up to 100 people, 2
training halls with a capacity of 25 students each, a computer hall, a hall for
practical work, a cafeteria and a library. It has 20 rooms with 2 beds each and
6 independent rooms for trainers, two recreation areas and a multifunctional
playground.
The center will be a valuable tool for the
region to modernize the rice sector and transform the lives of the rural
communities. It is open to all the research and development partners of
AfricaRice on a charge basis.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by local authorities, representatives of donors and R&D partners and AfricaRice staff.
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