Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in partnership with CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CRI) and the International Potato Center (CIP) is offering a 10-day Training-of-Trainers course designed to provide participants with the skills and knowledge to train others; from 8th to 19th July, 2019. This training follows “Everything you ever wanted to know about sweetpotato," developed and implemented by the International Potato Center under the "Reaching Agents of Change” project.
The training course dubbed “Everything-you-need-to-know-about-Sweetpotato” will be offered at KNUST and CSIR-CRI in Kumasi, Ghana. Its sole aim is to consolidate efforts in promoting OFSP (Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato), thus building capacity of national, non-governmental and individual implementing agencies to drive uptake of OFSP. Therefore, women and organizations committed to incorporating nutritious crops into their programs and product lines are particularly encouraged to apply. Youth with entrepreneurial ideas for the sweetpotato value chain are also encouraged to apply for a partial scholarship.
Knowledgeable instructors skilled in ‘adult teaching and learning,’ will use hands-on approach to provide beneficiaries with the skill-set and knowledge needed to explore sweetpotatoes for health and wealth.
A maximum of 25 participants will be accepted to foster a conducive learning environment. Participants will be drawn from Ghana and beyond.
- Early bird registration fee (Deadline: 17th May, 2019): 1500 USD for foreign participants and 4000 Ghana cedis for local participants
- Late registration fee: 1700 USD for foreign participants and 4500 Ghana cedis for local participants
- A discount fee is available for participants attending in groups of 3 or more
Fees cover snacks and lunch, course materials, field work, and a field trip. Participants will be awarded a certificate of participation upon completion.
Participants will be responsible for their own accommodation and dinner.
(Minimum cost of accommodation close to the training centre is approximately 40 USD/ night).
Topics to be covered include:
- Origin and importance of sweetpotato
- Sweetpotato varietal selection and characteristics
- Orange-fleshed sweetpotato and nutrition
- Sweetpotato seed systems
- Sweetpotato production and management
- Sweetpotato pest and disease management
- Marketing and value addition
- Processing and utilization
- Gender and diversity in sweetpotato value chains
- Monitoring of OFSP dissemination and uptake
- Entrepreneurship
Side attractions: Leisure trips to Kakum National Park and Cape Coast Castle. This year promises to be better, so join us, gain new knowledge share experience and have fun!
Comments and performance of participants from the previous years
- Good TOT course going home a refreshed and new person. Kudos to organizers (2016 Participant from Cameroon)
- Thanks for the intervention (2015 participant from Ghana)
- I am so grateful for the program (2016 participant from Nigeria)
- Facilitators were up to task and should keep it up (2017 participant from Ethiopia)
- Everything about the course is good (2017 participant from USA)
- This is great! The district assemblies should be involved (2015 participant from Ghana)
- This is an eye opening training and a good initiative for people to know about the nutrition and benefits of OFSP (2015 participant from Ghana)
- The program is well executed and I bravo all the facilitators (2015/ 2016/ 2017 participants from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Ghana)
2016 participants improved their knowledge on everything they needed to know about sweetpotato by an average 22%; minimum of 7% and maximum of 41%.
2017 participants improved their knowledge on everything they needed to know about sweetpotato by an average 29%; minimum of 11% and maximum of 49%.
They are already making impact in their communities and countries; so can you!
Interested persons should send an application by 7th June, 2019.
For further information please contact the following:
inoduro.sci@knust.edu.gh, abenaboakye13@gmail.com and e.carey@cgiar.org
Mobile: +233 244 82 6613; +233 050 158 2896