Mastercard Foundation, in collaboration with Agri-Impact Limited, is spearheading the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Programme, targeting a 10% reduction in Ghana’s annual food imports by enhancing local production across key agricultural sectors. The initiative also aims to create meaningful employment opportunities for Ghanaian youth by focusing on the poultry, rice, tomato, and soybean value chains.
Launched in December 2023, the HAPPY Programme has already engaged over 90,000 youth, including women and persons with disabilities, in its first year. By 2028, the programme is set to provide dignified job opportunities for 326,000 young people aged 15-35 across Ghana.
During the 2024 HAPPY Programme Exhibition at the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) Ghana CARES Economic Enclave in Kasunya, Agri-Impact Limited CEO, Daniel Acquaye, emphasized the dual goals of food self-sufficiency and job creation. “With our approach to empowering young farmers across these value chains, we aim to generate over 189,000 metric tonnes of food annually, providing close to $200 million in income while reducing food imports by 10% each year,” he shared.
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Rwigamba Rica, Mastercard Foundation Ghana Country Director, expressed optimism after witnessing young farmers’ successes firsthand, saying, “Agriculture offers diverse opportunities along the entire value chain. We encourage more youth to see agriculture not only as planting but as a viable career path with sustainable earnings.”
The HAPPY Programme is a collaborative effort supported by eight organizations, including Newage Agric Solutions, the National Service Scheme (NSS), Ghana CARES (MiDA), Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), TechnoServe, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Jobberman.
credits: citinewsroom
