Mastercard Foundation and the Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) have outlined a training programme to train the next generation of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Ghana’s agriculture sector.

The programme dubbed: Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT), is expected to scale KIC’s proven transformational model and initiatives such as: the AgriTech Challenge, Business Booster and Business Incubation, across all the 16 regions of Ghana.

According to Mastercard foundation, the training will enable young entrepreneurs in the agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sectors to benefit from capacity building, access to finance and business scaling opportunities, creating work opportunities for 163,000 young Ghanaian women and men in the process.

The Foundation disclosed that the four-year $16 million programme is aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works’ vision and work in Ghana to deepen efforts in the agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sectors. Meanwhile, it will be using a value chain market systems development approach to create access to dignified and fulfilling work opportunities within the sector for young Ghanaians.

Mr Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, the Executive Director of KIC, said, “This partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is a testament to KIC’s tangible achievements over the past six years, and a nod to the transformation we are bringing to Ghana’s agriculture sector.”

The Director asserted that the programme aligns with KIC’s goal of nurturing the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses, to build a healthier and more diverse economy that is fueled by local talent and innovation.

Masrtercard Foundation Impacts 100,000 Farmers

Mr Gyan-Kesse averred that, as an organization, they are driven by the determination to be the power behind the innovations that would shape Ghana’s agriculture sector. “We want to back ideas that transform communities and we want to impact the lives of all the individuals associated with our programmes.”

Mr Gyan-Kesse disclosed that more than 100,000 farmers have been impacted by Agri-Tech and agribusinesses supported by the KIC. He noted that the Center has now evolved into an independent non-profit organization, which is able to partner with other organizations and foundations to support its work. 

Mr. Joe Mensah, the Board Chairman of KIC, Senior Vice-President of Kosmos Energy, said, “When Kosmos Energy launched the KIC back in 2016, they knew it had the potential to make a real difference by bringing fresh talent, thinking, and energy to Ghana’s agriculture sector.”

The Board Chairman of KIC noted that the achievements of KIC over the last couple of years, speak for themselves. He thus, outlined the following achievements: 600 young leaders trained in business and entrepreneurship; 42 promising small businesses discovered or supported; 360 jobs created and nearly 100,000 farmers supported by our start-ups and small businesses.

Madam Rosy Fynn, the Ghana Country Head at the Mastercard Foundation, also said, “This multi-year partnership with the KIC reflects our optimism about Ghana’s future and is aligned to our country’s strategy of investing in agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sectors.”

The Country Head asserted that the programme will unlock work opportunities for young Ghanaian women and men and to push for system-level changes that will position Ghana as a continental giant in agricultural innovations.