Leventis Foundation Nigeria partners Edo on agric management training in South-south Nigeria

In a formal ground breaking ceremony organized by the board of directors of the Weppa Leventis Farm, a subsidiary of the Leventis Foundation Nigeria GTE, the ball was set rolling on Thursday May 3, 2018 in Agenebode area of Estako East Local Government Edo state, for the official commencement of operations at the Leventis Foundation Agricultural Management Institute, Weppa Leventis farm, Agenebode – Edo State.

The Weppa farm which currently employs 635 workers is a project the Leventis Foundation Nigeria commenced in 2006, to provide employment for the people of Edo and Nigeria as a whole while also stimulating economic development in the general area. In his key note address, the Chairman of Weppa Leventis Farm, Ahmed Mantey who is also the chairman of the Leventis Foundation Nigeria said the continued development of the Weppa farm and the establishment of the Institute will provide job opportunities for the students who will benefit from the standard training programs offered as well as assist in the development of commercial farming sector in Edo state and the entire country.

Mantey expressed the Foundation’s gratitude to Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State, for his unprecedented cooperation with private sector enterprises, which coupled with the Federal Government’s present proactive policies has enabled the Foundation to committedly pursue the development of the Leventis Agricultural Management Institute as well as secure investments and needed partnership from relevant stakeholders.

Obaseki, laid the first stone on the Leventis Institute foundation and dug and planted the first tree to mark a formal expansion of the institute. He commended the efforts of Leventis Foundation Nigeria citing its extraordinary plan to further agricultural development, rural employment and national food security through the local processing of raw materials in Edo state and Nigeria at large. Obaseki further assured the Chairman and members of the Leventis Foundation of its commitment towards the support in moving the project forward.

Present at the event were other board members of Leventis Foundation Nigeria and Weppa Leventis Farm in the persons of Hope Usieta (Executive Director, LFN), Oladele Fatayi-Williams, Phil Hall, Russel Boddy and the farm Director Simeon Kayode, who were all on hand to receive the governor and show him around the existing and proposed facility. Also in attendance along with the governor was the Chief of Staff Taiwo Akerele, the Edo State Commissioner for agriculture, E U Imomoh (Chairman, Investment One), Mr Emmanual Ikazoboh (Group Chairman, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated) and community chiefs led by Moses Etsu, who delivered a thank you address on behalf of the Weppa community and its neighbouring villages.

The Leventis Foundation Nigeria adds this laudable project to their already existing training institutes across Nigeria in cities like Kano, Ilesha, Abuja, Gombe, Kaduna and Ghana; with a continued aim to fast track the development of young agricultural specialists to become the commercial farm managers of tomorrow.