Entrepreneurship is increasingly considered as an important means for income and employment generation and poverty alleviation. Elsewhere, even in developed countries, small and medium enterprise creates about 80% of the jobs and contributes to around 60 % of the real GDP. As traditional job become rarer, youth entrepreneurship is regarded as an additional way of integrating youth into the labour market and overcoming poverty.
Besides creating employment for the youth, entrepreneurship can contribute to growth of the local economy, promote innovation and resilience in the youth by providing important life skills and help reduce socio-psychological problems and delinquency that arises from joblessness. In view of this huge potential, it is vitally important to promote a positive attitude to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship culture among the youth and to prepare school leavers and graduates to start small enterprise for gainful employment.
There is a huge potential for entrepreneurship and self employment in the RNR sector which remain almost untapped. We believe that establishment of entrepreneurship education and training in rural agro-based will lay down a sound and sustainable foundation for stimulating entrepreneurship in the rural areas aimed towards employment generation, reducing rural to urban migration of youth and poverty reduction. While employment creation is not a mandate of the College, we recognizes the importance of agriculture, entrepreneurship and their interface in agriculture development and youth employment.
In view of the economic challenges our country is facing and the issues in agriculture development and of youth employment, we realize that we have an important role to play in terms of building a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation among our students and moulding our students as job creators rather than job seekers. Accordingly, the Agro-based Entrepreneurship Development and Incubation Centre (AEDIC) was established in the College to promote entrepreneurship in agriculture to achieve the intertwined objectives of sustainable agriculture development and employment generation for our students and graduates. This is expected to be achieved through a multi-pronged strategy.
- Inclusion of Entrepreneurship development modules in all our programmes
- Organizing business idea competition through Star-up weekend and business idea pitching with collaboration with several agencies
- Offering entrepreneurship development course for school leavers
- Establishment of a Student Entrepreneurship Club
- Establishment of a Student entrepreneurship Seed Fund
- Establishment of a Bio-FabLab
Objectives of the AEDIC
The main objective of the Centre is to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem at the College and the community around by providing opportunities to become entrepreneurs to students, faculty members, alumni and community members
- To encourage self employment and employment generation through showcasing viable and profitable model farm enterprises.
- Promote entrepreneurship attitude and culture among the graduates and the youth
- Build capacity of the graduates and young potential entrepreneurs in entrepreneurship and enterprise development
- Create conducive environment to nurture innovative ideas
- Network with government agencies, industrial associations, chamber of commerce and industries to provide facilitation and expertise
Service offered by the Centre
The Centre offer several services free of cost including but not limited to the following.
- Training and incubation
Regular Entrepreneurship development training is conducted twice a year for graduates and school leavers on a range of potential agriculture enterprises depending on popular demand. However, we can organize tailor-made courses for specific clients. The training is for 3 months aimed at building both technical as well as business management skills. Following the training, trainees will undergo a period of Incubation where incubates will be mentored and assisted to develop a business plan. Where possible, the centre could also link them to financial institutions and other relevant agencies( For details, please see the flyer).
- Business idea competition
The business idea competition or pitching is conducted among the students once or twice a year in collaboration with several agencies
- Business plan development and planning
We provide assistance to student, graduates and potential entrepreneurs to write business plan
- Consultations
We also provide consultations on establishment of a agro-enterprises