The consortium implementing the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity (HAPPY) Program celebrated rural women last week at Challu in the Sissala East Municipality, Upper West Region, as part of the International Day of Rural Women. The event honoured the vital contributions of rural women to Ghana’s agricultural sector.
The HAPPY Program, a Mastercard Foundation initiative in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited, seeks to engage 326,000 youth aged 15-35—70% of whom are women and persons with disabilities—across four agricultural value chains: rice, tomatoes, poultry, and soybeans, over four years.
The program is led by Agri-Impact Limited and being implemented by eight partners, including the National Service Authority, Ghana Cares (MiDA), NewAge Agric Solutions, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Jobberman, and TechnoServe.
So far, the program has enabled dignified work opportunities for over 90,000 youth in the agricultural sector.
CRS and NewAge Agric Solutions are driving youth empowerment through farming across northern Ghana and other regions. Together, they engage over 10,000 young Ghanaians in producing thousands of metric tons of rice and soybeans, creating sustainable work opportunities and boosting agricultural productivity.
Representatives from NewAge Agric Solutions, CRS, GEA, TechnoServe, NSS, Jobberman, and dignitaries like the Municipal Director of MoFA in Sissala East attended to celebrate the inspiring contributions of rural women.
The event, themed "Ensuring Food Security Through Rural Women," gathered experts, community leaders, and women farmers to address agricultural productivity and rural development.
Ama Gyan, Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion Manager at Agri-Impact Limited, praised rural women’s contributions to the global economy through agriculture.
“Rural women are key contributors to food security. The Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited and others, set this day aside to acknowledge their significant efforts. We are here to support and celebrate the vital role you play in Ghana's economy and beyond. We say ayekoo.”
Abdulai Mumin, Regional Director of GEA, highlighted GEA’s role in providing advisory services and capacity-building initiatives for agricultural entrepreneurs, focusing on value addition to local produce.
He noted that GEA has trained 2,870 youth in processing key crops like rice, soybean, poultry, and tomatoes, empowering local entrepreneurs and boosting the agricultural sector.
Mumin emphasized the need to build the capacity of rural women to ensure they have the skills to succeed in agriculture.
He commended efforts to support local entrepreneurs in processing agricultural products, which has enhanced local economies and livelihoods.
The Sissala East Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mahama Salifu, emphasized the critical role of rural women in food security, noting that despite their contributions, they face systemic barriers such as limited access to viable land and low-interest credit. These challenges hinder the full inclusion of women farmers in agricultural initiatives.
Salifu called for targeted interventions to equip rural women with skills in mechanized farming and tractor usage, which he said would significantly increase productivity. He also stressed the importance of training women as farm aggregators to improve market access for smallholder farmers.
Participants of the HAPPY Program shared their experiences, with one participant, Bassin Seidu, stating, “As a woman farmer, I have benefited greatly from the HAPPY Program. We received seeds, inoculants, and training, which reduced our dependency on our husbands. This support has been invaluable, and many others are now joining the program because of its success.”
Through the HAPPY Program, Agri-Impact Limited and its partners continue to address the challenges rural women face, providing resources and training to improve productivity and secure livelihoods.
