My path to becoming managing director

As part of the PRO-PLANTEURS project, I participated in the training at the training centre of Anader to become a manager. During the training, we learned more about self-management, stock management, human resources management, organisation, monitoring and evaluation, and marketing. Today I am the managing director of EPAA, the Entreprise des Prestations Agricoles d'Agboville. We are a service unit responsible for the phytosanitary treatment of the plantations of the members of the cooperative societies in Agboville.

My team is motivated to stay in the agricultural sector. Even if it is difficult for young people, with courage we will make it. For several years now we have had the idea of rehabilitating the fields of our parents who do not have the means to maintain their fields because they lack manpower, machinery for phytosanitary treatment, production material and means of transport as the fields are sometimes very far away. So, this project is the fulfilment of our dream.

With the service unit, we aim to offer different services to the members of the cooperatives. We can offer what they really need: workers with knowledge in new agricultural techniques. Our work plan for the beginning is to take care of the fields that are in the hinterland and not well maintained. We also plan to weed and plant cocoa trees when it is not the season for crop protection. We want to monitor and evaluate the work of the planters in our team. If the work is done well, we will have a high production. Farmers and cooperative societies will benefit from the work we will do.

The difficulties we will have are first to sensitise our parents and farmers so that we can implement good agricultural practices and to teach them so that they understand the new agricultural techniques. Therefore, we plan to work on our parents' plantations first so that the other farmers can see the results. We plan to do tours in other villages as well to raise awareness. We will also work with the cooperatives to facilitate the work as a whole.