Government authorities and collaborators in the program
The Mastercard Foundation, alongside CrossBoundary, has initiated the Bridge into Agriculture program. This effort benefits from the backing of several key organizations: Access Bank, Ecobank, Fidelity Bank, First National Bank, Stanbic Bank, and Zenith Bank. Additionally, businesses such as Africa Skills Hub and Mind Builders Africa contribute their expertise, along with technological assistance from Peswa. The aim is to equip young individuals looking to make strides within the agricultural sector with the necessary tools for success.
This program seeks to provide accessible financial resources and technological assistance to small and medium-sized businesses within agriculture and related industries. Additionally, it focuses on equipping youth—particularly females—with essential skills via educational training.
The Bridge-in Agriculture program collaborates with commercial banks to provide loans to agricultural businesses at low double-digit interest rates. This initiative aims to facilitate business expansion and job creation, thereby helping to alleviate poverty among young people and women in the nation.
At the unveiling held last Thursday, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, highlighted that agriculture forms the foundation of Ghana’s economy. He emphasized that approximately 75% of the rural workforce is employed in this sector.
He mentioned that the Bridge-in Agriculture program aligns with the ministry’s Feed Ghana initiative, aiming for continuous yearly production and enhancing productivity via stronger food systems resilience.
The Deputy Minister also mentioned that this initiative serves as a strategic approach aimed at addressing the fundamental issues within the sector, including restricted funding, insufficient facilities, and sluggish adoption of contemporary methods.
He revealed that the program aims to assist young entrepreneurs in transforming their ventures from mere subsistence farming into technologically equipped, commercially sustainable entities suitable for local use as well as international trade.
He encouraged young people entering into agribusiness to begin with modest ventures and gradually expand, aiming to minimize initial losses. He also motivated them to seize this opportunity to establish resilient enterprises and generate employment, thus contributing to the development of a thriving agricultural industry.
He likewise commended the banks for their assistance with the program.
At the unveiling event, Fanta Conde, who serves as the Managing Director of CrossBoundary Advisory and leads the Bridge-in Agriculture program, stated that the initiative aims to harness the potential of the agriculture industry. The primary goals include fostering honorable job opportunities for women and channeling investments into this vital sector.
She mentioned that the program offers accessible funding from their collaborators to small and medium-sized enterprises in agriculture, along with capacity development, technical support, and training for young individuals and women to gain essential business skills aimed at impacting the agricultural industry.
She mentioned that the program aimed to motivate banks to lend to the agriculture sector for a span of five years, particularly focusing on under-serviced groups. The intention was that after this timeframe, banks would keep supporting these sectors using the knowledge, insights, and connections they had developed during this time.
Fanta further stated that the objective of the program is to reach 400,000 youth, among whom 70% will be female and 5% will have disabilities.
The beneficiaries similarly conveyed how the program affected their enterprises. Augustina Asor Tufuor, who founded and manages Tropical Snacks, stated that the training provided by Africa Skills Hub equipped her with essential expertise for running her company more effectively. She further mentioned that winning $5,000 at the pitching contest significantly bolstered her business operations; she utilized these funds to buy machinery aimed at boosting efficiency, hire additional personnel to strengthen her manufacturing crew, and increase the pool of farmers supplying raw materials to her enterprise.
She encouraged aspiring business owners to maintain an open mindset and stay eager to acquire new knowledge.
By Florence Asamoah Adom
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