Ghana: Newage Agric Solutions to generate 145,000 jobs with the HAPPY Project

Newage Agric Solutions has embarked on a mission to generate 145,000 dignified jobs, focusing on youth, women, and persons with disabilities, with women comprising 70 percent of the workforce. This initiative is part of the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) program, a project co-created and consortium-managed in collaboration with the MasterCard Foundation.

The company is set to achieve this target through the provision of 18,000ha of irrigated and rain-fed land for use by youth, especially women, over the 4 years. These youth will continue to have access to the lands for farming and be integrated into the network of farmers connected to NewAge.

The overarching objective of the entire program is to catalyze transformative investments in the rice, soybean, tomato, and poultry value chains. The primary goals include enhancing production volumes, reducing imports, and strategically creating employment opportunities, particularly targeting youth, women, and people with disabilities.

The Newage Agric Solutions Limited will support 120 youth to establish 120ha rice seed farm and supply rice seeds to farmers under the programme, as well as expand to other farmers outside HAPPY.

The company’s role in the project will result in increased production for smallholder young farmers and lead to the production and mobilisation of at least 141,790mt of paddy valued at over US$44.3million, and 55,000mt of soybean valued at over US$34.38million annually.

The HAPPY programme is anticipated to create, maintain, and improve around 320,000 dignified jobs, with women making up 70 percent of the workforce. Additionally, the initiative is poised to significantly reduce national import expenditures, resulting in savings exceeding US$164 million over the four-year period.