Ghana Trains 300 Youth in Farm Machinery Operation to Boost Agriculture

More than 300 young farmers from Ghana's Ketu North, Ketu South, and surrounding communities have acquired new skills in operating and maintaining modern farm machinery. The comprehensive two-day training and capacity development program, themed ‘Driving Growth: Mastering Farm Machinery for the Future,’ was hosted by BonAgro LOVOL in collaboration with Weichai LOVOL Global and PanAfrica Savings and Loans.

“

The initiative was designed to tackle two key challenges confronting Ghana’s agricultural sector, limited access to skilled machinery operators and the high cost of mechanisation services.

The initiative directly confronts two significant hurdles in Ghana's agricultural landscape: the scarcity of skilled machinery operators and the high expense associated with mechanization services. Richmond Kwadwo Tufour, Machine Sales Executive for the Southern Zone at BonAgro, explained that while many young individuals are keen on mechanized farming, they often lack the necessary technical expertise and financial resources. This training, part of BonAgro's corporate social responsibility, aims to cultivate not just operators but future leaders in modern agriculture.

Participants received hands-on instruction from the Agriculture Engineering Services Division (AESD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, covering safe operation, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting for LOVOL tractors, combine harvesters, and track tillers. A significant aspect of the program was the presence of officials from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), who issued Licence E on-site. This streamlined process allows beneficiaries to legally operate agricultural machinery nationwide, a crucial step as an estimated 90 percent of farm machinery operators previously lacked formal certification.

“

The arrangement with the DVLA had significantly reduced the cost and bureaucratic hurdles involved in acquiring licences, adding that more than 90 per cent of farm machinery operators previously did not have formal certification.

Torgbi Adjei III, Divisional Chief of Atiteti, praised BonAgro LOVOL's investment in human capital and encouraged the trainees to share their knowledge, promoting climate-smart and mechanized agriculture in the Volta Region. Reuben Asare, CEO of As-Passion and the National Best Youth Farmer for 2025, urged the Minister of Food and Agriculture to expand access to modern farm equipment for young and smallholder farmers, highlighting the ongoing need for support in this vital sector.

“

BonAgro LOVOL for investing in human capital and urged beneficiaries to pass on the knowledge acquired to other farmers in order to promote climate-smart and mechanised agriculture in the Volta Region.