Maphlix Trust Ghana Limited, a leading producer and exporter of fresh vegetables, roots, tubers, and fruits in Ghana, has entered into a strategic partnership with the National Service Authority (NSA) to train over 4,000 young people in smart agriculture and agribusiness.
The initiative, rolled out under the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) programme, is a high-impact, three-year intervention that seeks to equip especially National Service Personnel (NSP) with practical skills in modern agriculture, agribusiness management, and climate-smart farming technologies.
Per reports obtained, over 2000 young people have enrolled in the programme in its first year, signalling a growing enthusiasm among Ghana’s youth to embrace agriculture not as a last resort, but as a profitable, dignified, and entrepreneurial career path.
The collaboration
Speaking during a working visit to the Maphlix Trust Ghana Limited’s Agribusiness Training Centre at Dawhenya in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region, the president of Maphlix Trust Ghana, Dr. Felix Mawuli Kamassah, said collaboration with NSA was designed not only to create employment but also to empower the next generation of agripreneurs who can drive innovation and investment in Ghana’s agriculture sector.
He described the programme as a full-scale response to the employment crisis. “I must be clear on the fact that we are not just training the youth to grow crops. We are building entrepreneurs. We expose them to the entire value chain from production, processing, and packaging to accessing markets. The biggest advantage is that we already have the market, both locally and for export. They are learning the business of agriculture, and they are excited about it,” he stated.
Dr. Mawuli Kamassah emphasised that this was not a one-size-fits-all programme. “We have graduates from all disciplines, accountants, engineers, and teachers, enrolled in this training. It’s a five-month intensive programme with two hours in class daily and the rest dedicated to practical work. We want them to believe that they can own agribusinesses and employ others within a year. Some will even get the chance to visit factories and explore export markets across the globe,” he noted.
Job-ready
The programme, he explained, was tailored to make youth job-ready by focusing on financial literacy, cost analysis of crops, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) registration, business planning, pension systems, and smart greenhouse farming.
He called for policymakers and development partners to scale up investment in similar youth-led agribusiness initiatives. “This programme aligns perfectly with the government’s vision of a 24-hour economy and food self-sufficiency. But to make this truly national, we need support from policymakers, financial support from donors, and logistical partnerships. This is the kind of initiative that moves a country forward,” he noted.
Practical solution
For her part, the Director of Policy, Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PPBME) at the NSA, Dr. Elizabeth L. B. Zotorvie, described the initiative as a practical solution to the post-service employment gap that leaves thousands of young graduates idle each year.
She also outlined a strong gender-inclusive strategy, with 70 percent of programme beneficiaries expected to be women. “We are being intentional about bridging the gender gap in agriculture. Women have traditionally been confined to planting and harvesting, but now we are training them in mechanisation, tractor handling, agribusiness management, and processing. Women must be part of Ghana’s agricultural transformation,” she added.
She stressed that social and cultural barriers, such as lack of land ownership for women, must be broken. “Some women have to ask their brothers or husbands for land. We are advocating for change. Where necessary, we are negotiating access to land for them and helping them find alternative farming models,” she noted.
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