Ondangwa youth receive cake baking and decoration skills

The Ondangwa Town Council held a two-day baking and cake decoration training for 20 young people, aimed at equipping them with basic food-processing skills.

The practical sessions were a joint effort between Ileni Agrosolution and Consultancy CC and the town council, held under the theme ‘Christmas Gift Skills for Unemployed Youth in Ondangwa’.

Joan Pohamba of Agrosolution says the high youth unemployment rate in the Oshana region remains a major barrier to Ondangwa’s goal of becoming an industrialised town.

She says Agrosolution approached the council to offer the training free of charge.

“By investing in transferable skills such as baking and cake decorating, the initiative aims to lay the foundation for future small and medium-scale food industries, stimulate entrepreneurship, reduce poverty, and contribute directly to lowering youth unemployment as Ondangwa moves towards sustainable industrialisation,” she says.

The training covered food safety, hygiene and sanitation, an introduction to the kitchen, and hands-on cake baking and decorating.

It ran from Monday to Tuesday.

“The training was really good, it was productive and very educational,” says trainee Lucky Showa.

He says he learnt more than he expected, adding that he will use the skills he gained in the future.

Another trainee, Ester Nghinaunye, says: “The training was exciting and I have learned a lot as I am a first-time baker. The session I enjoyed the most was food safety as it includes safety in food handling.”

She says she will put her newly acquired skills from the training to good use, such as training the next generation.

Trainee Karina Osward says she is thankful to the town council for selecting her as a participant.

“The training was fruitful and we got free education on baking. The Ileni team gave us free ingredients during the practical session for baking,” she says.

Ondangwa mayor Ester Auala has urged the youth to work hard, respect their customers and stay professional.

Participants received certificates of completion and left with the cakes they baked.

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