The Women in Agricultural Technical Education and Apprenticeships (WATEA) project has officially ended. The initiative, funded by the French Government in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Oyo State Government, focused on building youth capacity in agricultural education and enterprise.
To mark the end of the two-year project, Dr Sonia Darracq, the project lead, visited stakeholders in the Oke-Ogun Zone alongside Dr Debo Akande, Director General of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), and other delegates. The Oke-Ogun Zone is home to one of the project’s beneficiary institutions.
Over the course of the project, about 1,000 students from LAUTECH and OYSCATECH were trained. “Eighty percent of the beneficiaries were female, with the remaining 20 percent being male,” said Dr Darracq.
The youths received training in agricultural systems and hands-on experience through the Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) programme.
Rectors and heads of agricultural departments also went on a study tour to boost institutional knowledge. The Oyo State Government will support participants through the YEAP-SAfER loan scheme to launch agribusiness ventures.