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The Economic Community of West African States – ECOWAS, has partnered with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency – FABDA, an Anambra State Government Agency headed by Emeka Iloghalu, to train no fewer than 150 Anambra youths in fish production. This training was hosted by the Anambra State Polytechnic in Mgbakwu, Awka North Local Government Area, Anambra State.

The training which took place over 4 months, was handsomely supported by ECOWAS with the sum of around $60,000. This training is part of efforts by the ECOWAS under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the Commission, to reposition the Commission, as a real development catalyst across the West African sub-region, through a deliberate empowerment of the people of the Community in relevant business skills. Anambra State is only one of the four locations that have benefited from the table fish production training for young people in Nigeria.

In Anambra State, the 150 youths successfully trained in the fish production value chain were also grouped into registered cooperatives, which signals their readiness for business. On Tuesday, March 19, they were graduated and issued certificates amidst expectations for other support, to begin exploring the huge table fish production market in Anambra State and the Southeast of Nigeria at large.

During the graduation on Tuesday, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs. Massandjé Toure-Litsé, and a team from the Commission, including Abdou Kolley, the Chief of Staff to the President of ECOWAS and Director of Cabinet at ECOWAS, among other members of the team, were on ground to witness the event. On the part of Anambra State, the Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, who conveyed the governor’s appreciation to the Commission and the visiting ECOWAS Commissioner with her team. Also, the Anambra State Commissioner for Industry, Christian Udechukwu, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Foster Ihejiofor, Commissioner for Youths, Patrick Aghamba, were in attendance. The provost of the Anambra State Polytechnic and other school management staff were equally in attendance.

While conveying the governor’s message, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Ibezim, thanked the ECOWAS and Mrs. Massandjé Toure-Litsé, particularly, for finding Anambra State worthy of such a huge investment in human capital. He also expressed optimism that the Commission will invest even more in capacity building in Anambra State.

For Mrs. Massandjé Toure-Litsé, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, the training has been impressive, and such capacity-building efforts are part of a coordinated program to shift ECOWAS and position it for higher gains to the people of the Community. “Out of the 150 people trained, 40% are women. I congratulate the trainees. This initiative is part of the broader ECOWAS vision to move from the ECOWAS of States to ECOWAS of people,” the Commissioner said. According to Commissioner Mrs. Massandjé Toure-Litsé, “ECOWAS thinks that this programme is important because it is the implementation of the strategy that we have to empower youths in various sectors, particularly agriculture. We have a strategy; it’s good to have a strategy, it’s good to have a policy, but at a point in time, you need to implement it.

It would be best if you empowered youths and women and the strategy that we have is aligned with the vision of shared prosperity for the people of the community you know that our 400 million persons in the Community of ECOWAS, we have more than 50% of youths and employment of youths is a serious issue,” she said during an interview, after inspection of the fish farm. Moving forward, it is now left to be seen how fast the fresh trainees will hit the ground running with their acquired knowledge and skills.