Mastercard Foundation

In just one year, the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Program has become a beacon of hope for thousands of young Ghanaians, proving that agriculture can be a transformative career path.
 
Rolled out in December 2023, this four-year initiative by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited and a consortium of eight partners has facilitated dignified, fulfilling work opportunities for over 94,000 young people across Ghana’s agricultural sector within a year. 

The second cohort of the HAPPYTech Ambassadors Training has commenced under the HAPPY Project. 

The training, initiated by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited, is to equip participants with skills in digital agriculture, innovation, and collaboration.

Professor Nana Ewusi-Mensah, the project lead, emphasized the significance of the training. 

The staff of Agri-Impact Limited recently conducted a field trip to several communities participating in the HAPPY Program across the country. The purpose of the trip was to monitor the program's progress and gather valuable feedback for review and improvement.

The visit focused on assessing the impact of the project in selected Catholic Relief Services (CRS) project communities, including Kpulgini, Kulguduli, Wapuli, and Garimata Northern Region with particular attention to input quality, distribution effectiveness, and overall project success.

As a young Ghanaian with a passion for agriculture and a fresh degree in Agricultural Biotechnology, I am incredibly inspired by the HAPPY (Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth) Program. This program has provided thousands of youth with dignified work opportunities across four value chains: rice, poultry, tomato, and soybean, within the agribusiness space.

The Annual HAPPY Learning Event took place last week in Sunyani, Bono Region, to review the first-year achievements and challenges of the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Program.

A partnership between the Mastercard Foundation, Agri-Impact Limited, and eight other partners, the HAPPY Program aims to create dignified jobs for 326,000 young Ghanaians—70% of whom are women and persons with disabilities—across the poultry, tomatoes, rice, and soybean value chains.

A joint team from the Mastercard Foundation and Agri-Impact Limited visited implementation sites of the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Program in Bono, Ashanti, and Greater Accra regions in September 2024.

In Sunyani, Bono Region, the team toured NAPLE Betta’s plant, an anchor partner that supplies poultry feed for the HAPPY Broilers program.

The Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited has rolled out an ambitious and transformative program dubbed Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) to be implemented by eight Implementing Partners including NewAge Agric Solutions, National Service Scheme (NSS), Ghana Cares (MiDA), Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), TechnoServe, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Jobberman. 

Happy International Women's Day

Today, we salute the trailblazing women who drive progress with their resilience and wisdom. At Agri-Impact Limited, our warmest wishes go out to all women worldwide. As we rally around this year's theme, "Invest in women: Accelerate progress", we acknowledge the pivotal role of women in agriculture.

Today, as we celebrate our nation's freedom, let's shine the spotlight on our incredible youth—the driving force behind our aspirations and progress.

At Agri-Impact Limited, we believe in the boundless potential of Ghanaian youth, their energy, and their unwavering optimism. With the right mindset and determination, our youth can spark remarkable transformation in agriculture and beyond. They have the power to break barriers, conquer challenges, and cultivate resilience as they pursue their dreams.