The Mastercard Foundation, in collaboration with Agri-Impact Limited, has set an ambitious target to reduce Ghana’s food imports by 10% annually through the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Programme. The initiative has shown promising outcomes at key project sites, such as Kasunya in the Shai-Osudoku District, and aims to create meaningful employment for 326,000 young people aged 15-35 within four years.
Launched in December 2023, HAPPY has already engaged over 90,000 young Ghanaians, including women and people with disabilities, in its first year, with a focus on the poultry, rice, tomato, and soybean value chains. Agri-Impact Limited’s CEO, Daniel Acquaye, highlighted the programme’s goal of producing 189,000 metric tonnes of food annually and generating close to $200 million in income for participants. This, he noted, would significantly reduce the country’s reliance on food imports.
Mastercard Foundation’s Ghana Country Director, Rwigamba Rica, praised the program’s success after touring Agro Kings’ farms in Kasunya, urging more young Ghanaians to explore agriculture as a sustainable career. “Agriculture offers a wide array of opportunities beyond planting, encompassing the entire value chain, which can be highly profitable,” Rica stated.
The HAPPY Programme, executed by eight key partners, including Newage Agric Solutions, the National Service Scheme (NSS), Ghana CARES (MiDA), and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), underscores a collaborative approach to foster youth empowerment and economic growth through agriculture.
