UKRAINE – As part of its ongoing assistance for Ukraine’s food safety, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is introducing a free-to-use online learning tool for agribusiness employees known as AgriAcademy.

The platform intends to improve a crucial Ukrainian economic sector’s sustainability and competitiveness, which has been severely harmed by the Russian invasion.

Every subsector of the agriculture industry in Ukraine is suffering from a lack of trained professionals.

The EBRD commissioned a thorough investigation that revealed a huge knowledge and skill gap that had a profound impact on the industry’s competitiveness.

This is partially a result of the poor adoption of digital technologies and the lack of the ideal digital environment for knowledge transfer and competence acquisition.

Master’s Degree programmes in leading agricultural universities have incorporated the specialized online courses in their curricula.

For the first time, they have been modified to meet the requirements of Ukrainian agriculture.

Up to 30 e-learning modules covering important topics highlighted by the poll will be available on the platform, which offers unlimited free access. 

These topics include agronomy, process management, sales and retail, livestock, horticulture and vegetable production, agrarian innovations, and more.

The project is financed by the Ukraine Stabilization and Sustainable Growth Multi-Donor Account (MDA) of the EBRD (Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, United States of America, and the European Union as the largest donor).

The EBRD was created in April 1991 to ‘foster the transition towards open market-oriented economies and to promote private and entrepreneurial initiative’.

Since then it has invested over €180 billion (U.S. $192 billion) in more than 6,500 projects across three continents.

The Ukraine MDA was established to support Ukraine’s efforts to reform its economy, improve its business climate and restore sustainable growth. It has constituted an integral part of the EBRD’s operational approach towards the country.

Since its founding, the Multi-Donor Account’s focus has predominantly been on supporting the uptake of reforms through comprehensive policy engagement and capacity building.

The EBRD has made over €18 billion (U.S. $19 billion) in investments in Ukraine thus far.

It has provided funds for projects around the country totaling €900 million (U.S. $957 million) since the Russian invasion in February 2022, in collaboration with donors. 

In 2022–2023, the Bank has promised to provide Ukraine with €3 billion (U.S. $3.2 billion) in financing on an equal footing with foreign contributors.

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