From Africa to America, Meet Agriculture Trainee Sampson Asaah

“I am so happy to be here; it’s heaven for me,” said Sampson Asaah when asked about his initial reaction to America.  “What I thought about America while I was still in Africa is much different than what I see now. The way the staff at the airport came to me when I was stranded and helped me, I thought to myself wow, these people are really good and very hospitable,” Sampson explained. Without having purchased a ticket to his final destination, Sampson scrambled to find help in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

“When I got to Minneapolis, I had no idea what to do.  I didn’t have a phone and didn’t have anyone to talk to. I finally found a nice lady who let me use her phone to call CAEP. Once I had called my coordinator and the moment she heard my voice, she said wow; no need to worry! We will come pick you up!”  With a couple of phone calls and a few short hours later, a CAEP staff member was standing outside the airport holding a CAEP sign for Sampson. “Someone who I had only knew just one day had shown me such hospitality, I was in awe,” said Sampson.

Sampson, a swine and cocoa farmer back in Ghana, farms with his parents and many sisters and brothers.  Sampson will train at Nelson County Pigs Cooperative in Larimore, North Dakota. “I am here to learn how to raise swine in larger productions. In Ghana, because of capital, we don’t have large production farms, but agriculture is the backbone of the country. I love agriculture, and I want to learn a lot. This is a great opportunity for me to learn how to manage and operate large farms so I can go back home and open my own big farm.”

“I feel so happy to be here in America, I am enjoying the good people and even the cold weather!”

Stay tuned to the CAEP blog and social media channels for more updates on Sampson’s American journey!