Ministry of Youth and Sports Officially Launches RETRAP Agro Incubator Program to Empower 50 Young Agripreneurs TUMUTU, BONG COUNTY | NOVEMBER 4, 2026
Ministry of Youth and Sports Officially Launches RETRAP Agro Incubator Program to Empower 50 Young Agripreneurs
TUMUTU, BONG COUNTY | NOVEMBER 4, 2026
The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), has officially launched the RETRAP Agro Incubator Program at the Tumutu Agricultural Vocational Training Center (TAVTC) in Salala District, Bong County. The initiative, officially titled “Piloting the Mentorship and Incubation Programs to Enhance the Skills and Employability of TVET Youth through Self-Initiated Agribusiness Activities,” is funded by the World Bank through the Ministry of Agriculture’s Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP), with the Ministry of Youth and Sports as the final beneficiary.
The program seeks to equip young Liberians with practical agricultural, entrepreneurial, and business management skills, creating pathways for sustainable employment, agribusiness development, and economic independence. A total of 50 young people have been competitively selected from hundreds of applicants across Liberia to participate in the inaugural cohort. Through intensive hands-on training, mentorship, and agribusiness incubation, participants will develop competencies in modern crop cultivation, livestock management, irrigation systems, post-harvest technologies, financial literacy, farm management, and agricultural value chains.
Officially launching the program, Hon. Laraamand Shenkin Nyonton, Deputy Minister for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Ministry of Youth and Sports, described the initiative as a significant milestone in strengthening collaboration between government ministries to advance youth empowerment and agricultural transformation. “Today, on the historic grounds of Tumutu, we are witnessing a fundamental shift in how the Government of Liberia approaches youth empowerment and economic development,” the Deputy Minister declared.
He emphasized that the initiative reflects the Government’s commitment to transforming vocational training institutions into centers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic productivity. The Deputy Minister further acknowledged the leadership of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Atty. Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, and the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, in advancing a coordinated approach that connects technical skills development with Liberia’s agricultural priorities and the national Liberians Feed Yourselves Agenda.
He challenged the selected participants to take full advantage of the opportunity, stressing that modern agriculture must be embraced as a commercially viable profession capable of generating income, creating jobs, and strengthening national food security. The launch brought together key government officials, institutional leaders, traditional authorities, and implementing partners, including Hon. Collins Tamba, Assistant Minister for TVET; the Chief Executive Officer of YOCEL Inc., Emmanuel G. Mulbah; the Paramount Chief of Tumutu; the Commissioner of Salala District; the Director of TAVTC, Prince Kromah; and the Chief Program Officer of YOCEL Inc.
The program represents an important step in the Ministry’s broader agenda to modernize TVET delivery, promote youth-led agribusiness enterprises, and strengthen Liberia’s agricultural workforce. Through this partnership, the Ministry of Youth and Sports reaffirms its commitment to building a generation of skilled, innovative, and economically empowered young Liberians capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.
Ministry of Youth and Sports, Republic of Liberia; Empowering Youth. Building Skills. Transforming Liberia.
