Blues Skies, KIC and partners announce winners of the 2023 School Farm Awards

Blue Skies, KIC and Mastercard Foundation have announced award winners of the 2023 School Farm Competition at a ceremony held on 24th November, 2023 in Kumasi.

Present at the event were Mr. Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of KIC, Mr. Joe Mensah, Board Chair, KIC, Mr. Alistair Djimatey, Public Affairs Manager from Blue Skies Company Ltd; Nana Yaw Sarpong Serebour, 2022 National Best Farmer; the Deputy District Director of Education, from the Ghana Education Service; the Regional Director of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MOFA), Rev. Dr. John Manu, as well as other representatives from Ghana Education Service, Blue Skies Company Ltd, KIC and this year’s participating schools. The School Farm Competition, started as an initiative of Blue Skies Foundation, to create awareness about agriculture among young people and create a pipeline of talent within the agricultural sector with focus in three regions in the south. In 2022, through KIC’s partnership with Mastercard Foundation, KIC partnered with Blue Skies to scale up the programme and to reach more schools nationwide. The Competition introduces students in junior and senior high schools to agriculture by focusing on horticulture. The students learn from concepts such as nursing seedlings, to transplanting, cultivation beds and the right application use of approved chemicals and fertilizer, as well as the use of PPEs. Through the practical experience, the program seeks to create change in mindset about seeing agriculture as a form of punishment to seeing it as an economic viable activity.

Prior to the program roll-out for each year’s school, the teachers are trained on the good agricultural practices and innovative ways to introduce farming to young people. The initiative ends with an award ceremony where deserving schools, teachers, and students are given prizes to appreciate their commitment and enthusiasm towards the project, and the impact made on the students and communities at large. Speaking at the event, Mr. Alistair Djimatey, Public Affairs Manager, Blue Sky Products Ghana Ltd said: “Through the School Farm Competition, Blue Skies is helping to change the mindsets of young people about agriculture. We believe that this will go a long way to not only create young talents for the agricultural sector and for agribusiness enterprises but will also provide valuable life skills to young people. “

In his speech, Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of KIC outlined the importance of agriculture in providing economic opportunities for young people in the future. “The School Farm Competition is not only in recognition of the relentless enterprising hard work and dedication of students who participated in this year’s program, but also underscores the vital importance of agriculture in shaping the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.”

“We are also grateful to the Mastercard Foundation for its continued commitment to empowering young people providing them opportunities for work-readiness and skills training.” he added.

In his remarks, Rev. Dr. John Manu, the Regional Director for MOFA outlined some of the opportunities that young people could consider for future careers in agribusiness and agriculture, by highlighting the relevance of agricultural education for food security. He also mentioned the need for young people to consider value-addition as they consider the current trends in the sector. The Award for the Best School Farrm JHS Category went to Adoe D/A Junior High School; 1st Runner Up was Wenchi SVD Junior High School, with Poponya Fantem D/A Basic School taking the 2nd Runner Up award. For the SHS Category, Ghana Senior Hugh School, Tamale, won the Best School Farm of the Year Award 1st runner Up for SHS Category went to Bepong Senior High School; Mankessim Senior High School won the 2nd Runner Up.

Adoe D/A Junior High School won award for Most Entrepreneurial School; Most Committed School went to Peki Senior High School; Ecole Ronsard, Accra won the Most Innovative School. Discovery of the Year was awarded to SDA Senior High School, Gomoa. Most Sustainable School award went to Ghana Senior High School, Tamale

The Best Male Student JHS Category went to Adbul Latif, Gbulahagu from D/A Junior High School; Best Female Student JHS Category was received by Ofeibea Annon, Adoe D/A Junior High School; Best Male Student SHS Category was awarded to Bright Anibraka, Bepong Senior High School. Effah Yvonne, Peki Senior High School won the Best Female Student SHS Category. Best Teacher for Northern sector, JHS Category went to Cecil Boamey, Du-West Junior High School; Best Teacher for Southern Sector, JHS Category was awarded to Francis Ofosu-Agyekum, Anyinam D/A Girls Model JHS; Christian Pernarh, Bepong SHS received award for Best Teacher SHS Category. Dr. Anthony Pile Special Award went to Mr. George Attah Danso, Head Teacher of Adoe D/A JHS.

Other award categories include Lemuel Mantey Agric Leadership Award. This went to Hadid Dramani, Ghana Senior High School, Tamale. Sadata Wuaku, Bisease Senior High School received the Ruth Smith Adjei Special Recognition Award

At KIC, we are committed to creating mindset change about agriculture, by empowering young people to help them identify some of the opportunities within the agricultural sector.