The Mastercard Foundation and the Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC), have entered into a multi-year partnership to train the next generation of young leaders, agriculture entrepreneurs to ensure an improved and sustainable sector in the country.
The project dubbed Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT) the programme would scale KIC’s proven transformational model and initiatives such as the AgriTech Challenge, Business Booster, and Business Incubation across the 16 regions of the country.
Young Ghanaians
The partnership 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 Ghanaians, especially women.
Under the programme, a four-year, $16 million programme is aligned to the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works’ vision and work in Ghana, which seeks to deepen efforts in the agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sectors using a value chain market systems development approach, to create access to dignified and fulfilling work opportunities within the sector for young Ghanaians.
The programme also 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.
The Testament
Speaking at the launch, the Executive Director of KIC, Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, said the partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is a testament to KIC’s tangible achievements since its inception.
“The partnership is a nod to the transformation we are bringing to Ghana’s agriculture sector and as an organisation, we are driven by the determination to be the power behind the innovations that will shape Ghana’s agriculture sector,” he said.
The focus of KIC he said is to back ideas that transform communities and we want to impact the lives of all the individuals associated with its programmes.
“We are proud to have the Mastercard Foundation supporting our vision and helping us make a difference across the country.”
Agriculture Sector
Kosmos Energy’s Senior Vice-President and Head of the Ghana Business Unit, Mr Joe Mensah said KIC generates buzz in the agriculture sector, making it a more attractive career path for young people with ambition and drive.
“The nationwide expansion of the KIC’s proven and successful model will give young people closest to the problems the opportunity to drive solutions that unlock growth barriers in key agriculture value chains,” he said.
The Ghana Country Head, Mastercard Foundation, Ms Rosy Fynn 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 the agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sectors to unlock work opportunities for young Ghanaian women and men.
The partnership she said would push for system level changes that positions Ghana as a continental demonstration of agricultural innovations that are suited to the African context.
“We are pleased to collaborate with the KIC, an experienced partner, to train and support the next generation of young entrepreneurs in the country.”
SOURCE: myjoyonline.com
