Equip service personnel with industry skills, not just errands – Agri-Impact CEO to firms

Public and private sector firms have been urged to stop assigning national service personnel (NSPs) menial tasks and instead provide them with the skills, mentorship and hands-on training they need to contribute meaningfully to national development.

The call was made by Daniel Fahene Acquaye, Group Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact Limited, who warned that the country risks weakening its human capital potential if companies continue to overlook the value of young graduates entering the workforce.

Speaking during a sideline media engagement at the Grande Finale and Awards Night of the Young Agribusiness Professionals (YAPP) Program – Cohort 3, Mr. Acquaye said many firms complain about the lack of industry-ready skills among graduates yet fail to play their part in bridging that gap.

“At the end of the day, we complain that the young people who come onto the labour market these days don’t know anything. But when you had the opportunity to train them, you also did not impart any knowledge.

“We complain that schools don’t teach industry skills, but those of us with the expertise often reduce national service personnel to errand boys. How do they get those skills if we don’t give them the opportunity? National service persons are assets. We must embrace them and equip them to become productive contributors to our institutions”, he added.

The YAPP Program, a flagship mentorship and capacity-building initiative, is designed to equip national service personnel with practical knowledge, field experience and industry exposure to prepare them for leadership roles in the agribusiness sector.

Over the past year, 23 participants from Cohort 3 have benefited from mentorship, technical training, and practical fieldwork placements across Ghana’s agribusiness industry.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Service Authority (NSA), Ruth Dela Seddoh, also revealed ambitious plans to scale up the Authority’s Papao farms as part of broader efforts to integrate agribusiness into national service.

“We took over with a capacity of 2,500, and we have increased it to 100,000 in just eight months. Our goal is to ramp this up to 500,000 by next year, about 300,000 broilers and 200,000 layers; making it a model farm for large-scale production,” she said.

The awards ceremony celebrated the achievements of the 2025 YAPP Cohort, with individuals recognised for excellence in innovation, leadership and teamwork.