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 realize their potential.

According to him, such 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.

The Agri-Impact Group CEO spoke on the theme: “Revolutionising agriculture through digital Innovations to create jobs for youth.”

“Let us remember that the power of youth is unparalleled. They are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the change-makers of today, and we must make the necessary investments to fully unearth their potential. Whether through advocacy, innovation or simply by sharing unique perspectives, they are already making a significant impact,” he said.

While celebrating the youth, Mr. Acquaye urged them to take up opportunities in the agricultural space to improve their prospects, as he believes the greatest resource Ghana currently has is its youth.

“Investment in their creative minds, innovation, energy, boldness, determination and resilience will undoubtedly lead to economic transformation.”

“To all the young people, this day is for you. It is an opportunity to celebrate your achievements, share your stories, ideas and connect with one another. Be inspired by today’s event, pursue your passion, use your talents to build a better world. We will urge you to drive technology and innovation to de-risk agriculture, transform the industry not only to provide food and jobs but to cause continental economic development,” Mr Acquaye added.

HAPPY Program

The Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Agri-Impact Limited has rolled out a revolutionary initiative to secure dignified jobs for 326,000 youth within Ghana’s agricultural sector.

This initiative is dubbed Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY).

The programme is being implemented by eight partners: NewAge Agric Solutions, National Service Scheme (NSS), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), TechnoServe, Ghana Cares (MiDA), Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), and Jobberman.

Started in December 2023, the HAPPY Program has already created 50,000 dignified jobs for the youth and has contributed to the sale of over GHS 100 million worth of food (import substitution).

It has also helped to produce and supply 1.2 million broilers to the Ghanaian market including KFC.

Launch of Young Agri-Innovators Challenge

The International Youth Day was attended by over 700 youth from Senior High Schools, youth groups, farm institutes, and tertiary institutions.

At the event, a $20,000 Young Agri-Innovators Challenge was launched, giving young people between the ages of 15 and 25 the opportunity to secure varied start-up funds to launch their business or idea aimed at creating jobs or offering solutions in Ghana’s agricultural sector, with the first prize being $10,000.

The keynote speaker at the International Youth Day event, Nana Owusu-Achau, Chief Farmer at AgroKings, producers of the popular local rice, Nana’s Rice, used the opportunity to stir up the youth’s interest in agricultural solutions.

Food systems controlled by foreigners

“We have a real issue at hand. In this country, our food systems are controlled by foreigners, and that is a problem. There’s a foreign company that sells 50 tons of tilapia a day. That’s almost 2 million cedis worth of sales daily. Another foreign company has a 13,000-acre farm producing banana in Ghana and exporting 40 containers of bananas every day to Europe.”

“Where are the Ghanaians? Where are the youth? If any of these foreign companies decide to stop doing business in Ghana, what will happen to the tilapia that we’ve developed such a taste for? What would happen to the tilapia we cherish? Our food systems need to be controlled by Ghanaians. Even the fufu-pounding machines are made by the Chinese. We could be producing our own fufu-pounding machines.”

Remarks by Nana Yaw Sarpong Otuo Siriboe

The Akyempimhene of the Juaben Traditional Area and 2022 National Best Farmer, Nana Yaw Sarpong Otuo Siriboe I, who served as the chairman of the occasion, also urged the youth to move into the agricultural space to make a sustainable living.

The Siriboe Farms CEO recounted the factors that drove him into the sector, saying, “I entered agriculture as a means to make a sustainable living. The Gen-Zs these days don’t look at sustainability in anything; they only think about living. That’s why most of them spend time on betting. Those are transient. If you are making a living that is not sustainable, then you are not making a living.”

“I entered into the agricultural space when I realised that everybody eats. So what is more sustainable than that? We have a lot of opportunities in the agricultural space. I didn’t get into farming because of awards. All these awards just came along as a means of trying to have a sustainable living,” the Akyempimhene noted.

While urging the youth to dream big, he also admonished them to start on a small scale.

“Everything that I have done, I did it through agriculture. I bought my house through agriculture, and my car too. If you don’t think big, you will lose opportunities when they come your way. Everything is possible; you have to think big, but you have to start small. One idea at a time,” Nana Otuo Siriboe urged.

Remarks by KNUST Vice Chancellor

For her part, Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, commended Agri-Impact and the Mastercard Foundation for the numerous youth-focused initiatives championed by both firms.

While highlighting the worrying unemployment levels in Ghana, especially among the youth, Prof. Akosua Dickson said it is imperative to focus on sectors within the agricultural value chain while adopting innovative ways to help bridge this gap.

“Unemployment remains a challenge across the globe. It therefore calls for an all-hands-on-deck approach to solving the problem. In addressing this issue, it is crucial to focus on sectors such as agriculture and agribusiness while integrating appropriate digital technologies for the creation of jobs for our youth. Agriculture, as we know, is the backbone of our economy, providing livelihoods for millions. However, it has long been perceived as offering limited opportunities for the youth. This perception stems from a lack of innovation and modernisation.”

Prof. Akosua Dickson said Ghana currently has an excellent opportunity to change this narrative by leveraging digital innovation to revitalize agriculture, making it not only profitable but also attractive to the youth.

“On this note, let me say that nurturing the school farms in our Senior High Schools must no longer be seen as a form of punishment to inject discipline into students when they go wrong, but must be an opportunity to guide and train students to enjoy and love exploring their creativity to improve productivity on our land, leading to future startups.”