Njala University, 25th June, 2021- Njala University is set to mainstream the cultivation and processing of mushrooms in Sierra Leone courtesy of the World Bank/MTHE Le 2.2 billion Skills Development project.
The grant had provided for the training of over two hundred and fifty (250) vulnerable youths across the country and anchored at the Department of Horticulture, School of Natural Resources Management, Njala University.
The Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education supported by the World Bank is shifting the development trajectory of school drop-outs and other vulnerable youths to skills development.
Njala University won the grant together with other sixty-six (66) skills training and private sector-based institutions across the country.
The Le 2.2 billion grant will provide the appropriate infrastructure for the training of these youths in the processing and cultivation of the mushroom value chain by providing a full-fledged mycology laboratory, compost, incubation, and cropping houses and also train over two hundred fifty vulnerable youths selected across the country.
Njala University has commenced the training of these youths in May 2021 first with the introduction to the background in the cultivation of the mushroom value chain, processing, inoculation and sterilizing techniques, spawning, and several others.
The Project-lead for the Skills Development Project, Dr. Peter Musa who also doubles as Head of the Department of Horticulture, School of Natural Resources Management disclosed that the project has provided the requisite infrastructure and equipment that will mainstream the cultivation and processing of mushroom at Njala University and also support teaching, learning and research within the Natural Resources Management School.
The Skills Development Project is also expected according to Dr.Musa to serve as a hub for the provision and quality processing of spawns to potential farmers of mushrooms in the country. He further recounted that the project is getting its initial mushroom spawns from the project consultant based in Ghana.
Dr. Musa further noted that it has been a huge challenge to access mushroom spawns locally and even those that were exported into the country have challenges with quality.
For more enquiries, contact the Public Relations Office, Njala University on +23276336213/+23276245292/Email:akoroma1@njala.edu.sl /rssesay@njala.edu.sl
