-By Gertrude Onyekachukwu-UTEH:

MERCY OGHALE AKPUKANE has an OND in Business Administration. She hails from Isoko North Local Government Area and is the CEO of Mercy O.G Global Venture. Four years after her higher education, she enrolled in the Delta State Government’s Youth Agricultural and Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) in the 2018/2019 cycle. She is passionate about agriculture and feels fulfilled practicing it. She has diversified into poultry, into agricultural stocks supply and has acquired some tools for personal use. She tells her story.

“I currently have seven fish ponds and 7,000 fish. First and foremost, YAGEP gave me a sense of belonging after four years of unemployment. It gave me the opportunity to associate with others; the joy of leaving home in the morning and having somewhere meaningful to go to.

“YAGEP has given me financial freedom to some extent. I have rented and furnished an apartment where I live and at the same time contribute to the upkeep and education of my siblings. I have acquired a personal pumping machine and scale. I do not need to queue up to harvest my fish. I work according to my own timetable.

 “I am a testimony that YAGEP is successful. I feel fulfilled being a YAGEPreneur. I am developing my entrepreneurial skills. I have diversified into poultry. I supply day-old birds, point of lay birds, fish fingerlings, post-fingerlings, juveniles, medication for birds among others.”