The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is organizing the 10-day course “Everything you need to know about sweetpotato”, in partnership with CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CRI) and the International Potato Center (CIP).

It is a 10-day Training of Trainers course designed to provide the participants with the skills and knowledge to train others. This course has been adapted for Ghana from the original course: “Everything you ever wanted to know about sweetpotato”, developed and implemented by the International Potato Center under the “Reaching Agents of Change” project.

In 2016, as part of an AGRA-funded project, “Development and Promotion Of Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato in Volta,” the “Everything you need to know about sweetpotato” course will be offered at KNUST and CSIR-CRI in Kumasi, Ghana. Its sole aim is to consolidate other efforts in promoting OFSP, thus building capacity of national implementing agencies in Ghana and the West African region to drive uptake of OFSP.

Participants

A maximum of 30 participants will be accepted to foster a conducive learning environment. This Training of Trainers (ToT) course seeks participants from organizations committed to incorporating nutritious crops into their programs. The fee for this 10-day intensive course is US$ 1350 for international participants and GH ¢ 4000 for Ghanaian participants. It covers accommodation, meals, course materials and souvenirs. A limited number of scholarships are available. Participants who successfully complete the course will be awarded a certificate of participation.

Instructors knowledgeable on all aspects of the sweetpotato for health and wealth will serve as resource people, using a hands-on approach to provide educators and trainers with the skills and knowledge in training others on all aspects of the root for profit and health.  Participants will be drawn from all regions of Ghana and beyond.

Interested persons are invited to send an application and motivation letter by 31 st December, 2015. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.  Participants will be drawn from all regions of Ghana and beyond.

Course topics

The specific topics that will 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
• Harvesting and postharvest management
• Marketing and value addition
• Processing and utilization
• Gender and diversity aspects
• Monitoring of OFSP dissemination and uptake
• Entrepreneurship

Registration

Interested persons can send an email to  or  to obtain a registration form.