DULUTH, GA, December 6, 2019 – AGCO (NYSE: AGCO), a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions, is proud to announce that 20 students have graduated from the inaugural two-year AGCO Agribusiness Qualification Program (AAQ) cohort in a ceremony at Strathmore University Business School in Nairobi, Kenya on December 5, 2019.
“Investing in the agribusiness talent pool in Africa is a key part of AGCO’s corporate social responsibility strategy to assist in the achievement of food security on the continent,” said Gary Collar, Senior Vice President & General Manager Asia Pacific and Africa. “Congratulations to all of the AAQ graduates on your successful completion of this important program.”
“Participating in the AAQ program has enhanced the technical, professional and transferable skillsets for the students in the areas of in agronomy, livestock, farm business management and mechanization,” said Dr. Andy Wilcox, Head of Crop and Environment Sciences Department, Harper Adams University. “Students learned about sustainable agriculture practices, including the application of technology and environmental protection methods within every module.”
During the two-year program, the 20 students rotated between working commercial farms, agricultural machinery manufacturers and dealers, and more traditional campus settings in Kenya, Zambia, South Africa and the United States to obtain a wide variety of experiential and classroom learning opportunities.
“The students came to understand the agricultural value chain from ‘farm to fork': the players, their relationships, the value each player brings as well as how these players bring value both commercially and non-commercially,” said Jessica Wanjohi, Board Member, TheBridgeAfrica. “The workplace experience allowed them to apply the business training received in class first hand. The agribusiness learning experience culminated in commercially relevant projects that identified business challenges as well as their proposed solutions."
“The AAQ trailblazers are well-equipped to perform a range of roles from finance to advertising analytics, marketing, sales and distribution, project management, and technical roles in agricultural production,” said Njoki Kiagiri, Agribusiness Programme Manager, Strathmore University.
The program, designed in partnership with Strathmore Business School and TheBridgeAfrica in Nairobi, Kenya and Harper Adams University in Shropshire, UK, helps fill a gap in local talent between education and employment.
For more information about the AGCO Agribusiness Qualification program (AAQ), please visit the website: https://www.agcocorp.com/commitment/sustainability/focus-areas/aaq.html
About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE:AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural solutions and delivers high-tech solutions for farmers feeding the world through its full line of equipment and related services. AGCO products are sold through five core brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, supported by Fuse® smart farming solutions. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $9.4 billion in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information and events, please follow us on Twitter: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.