he 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 is built on 3 intervention areas: i) increasing production and productivity within the poultry, rice, soybean, and tomato value chains, ii) promoting value addition, fostering entrepreneurship, and facilitating market development and iii) developing strategic policies and advancing youth, gender, social inclusion and voice and agency.
The program aims to create 326,000 dignified and fulfilling jobs for youth (70% women) and persons with disability, increase food production by 190,000 tons, generate annual revenue of over $200million, and increase agricultural productivity in rice, soybean, tomato, and poultry value chains to reduce import of strategic foods by 10%.
Under HAPPY, Agri-Impact Limited is collaborating with the E-Learning Centre of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to roll out the e-HAPPY Project. The e-HAPPY training programs seek to deepen the use of ICT, and youth-led digital solutions to transform the agri-food systems in Ghana.
The objectives of e-HAPPY Program include;
Build the capacity of 100 selected youth in the use of innovative digital technological and pedagogical tools through tailor-made coaching modules.
Train 500 trainers of trainers (TOT) youth to become HAPPY Program ambassadors to drive a technology-driven agribusiness ecosystem.
Repurpose/co-create selected content suitable for virtual environments with Agri-impact partners.
Create targeted, innovative online training/technology transfer modules based on identified needs along the Agri-food value chain.
Equip youth to use programming for integrating and programming Internet of Things (IoT) devices in agriculture while using machine learning concepts to develop models for predicting crop yields, pest outbreaks, or optimal environmental conditions based on historical data.
"I’m very grateful for this opportunity, as it aligns with my field of study. Prior to this job, I was dealing in petty trade. I currently support my siblings—one in senior high school and the other in junior high school. This job has really helped me to provide for their needs."
"I have a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Procurement and Supply Chain. Until this program came on board, I was at home, not working. I’m really grateful for the HAPPY Program. Many of us were unemployed, but since this project started, we now have stable jobs and income. I’ve learnt a lot through the HAPPY Program, and I’m eager to further my knowledge in the field."
Under the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) program, Agri-Impact Limited, has partnered with the Ghana National Service Scheme (NSS) and Directorate of Crop Services (DCS) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to boost tomato production in the Agogo and Kumawu districts of the Ashanti Region.
NSS, DCS and Agri-Impact Limited, are helping young farmers to set up nursery enterprises and providing technical support, with the goal of creating over 2,000 dignified and fulfilling jobs by the end of September 2024 along the tomato value chain.
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 CEO of Yedent Agro Group of Companies and NAPLE Betta Farms, Samuel Ntim, has praised the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Program for its vital role in revitalizing Ghana's poultry sector, especially broiler production.
According to Ntim, the HAPPY Program—a Mastercard Foundation initiative in partnership with leading agribusiness firm Agri-Impact Limited—has, for the first time, enabled consistent broiler production for the Ghanaian market. Previously, the country relied heavily on imports to meet its growing demand for poultry.
Increase Investment in Youth
The Chief Executive Officer of the multinational agribusiness firm, Agri-Impact Limited, Daniel Fahene Acquaye, has called for increased investment in the youth of Ghana to help them realise their potential. These investments will enable the youth to make a significant impact on the country’s development.
Mr. Acquaye made this call at an event held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to celebrate International Youth Day on Monday, August 12, 2024.
As we continue to learn and grow together in this E-agri-prenuer training program, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude and share my thoughts on our journey so far.
Firstly, I want to thank the organizers, facilitators, and partners (Mastercard Foundation, Agri-Impact Limited, and KNUST E-Learning Centre) for this incredible opportunity. Your dedication and expertise have made a significant impact on our lives, and we are grateful for your support.
I must say, it has been an enlightening experience. Throughout these two days of training, our facilitators have been engaging, supportive and encouraging. The practical demonstration of using Zoom, Google Forms and Bitrix24 as an upcoming entrepreneur and extension officer caught my attention in particular.
The platform's adaptability and user-friendly design really pleased me. With skill, our facilitators led us through Bitrix24's features and tools, showing us how to use them for efficient data administration, communication, and farmer involvement.
The training just started yesterday, but the impact in just two days has already changed our lives and advanced our thinking. We are very grateful for this great opportunity, and we promise to adhere to and practice everything we are learning here.
God bless the KNUST E-Learning Center, Agri-Impact, and the MasterCard Foundation.
“The HAPPY Program has brought life to hatcheries and the poultry value chain, which had not been functioning properly for years,” he said, adding that it has helped reduce poultry imports by about 50,000 metric tons per annum.
