‘HAPPY’ Programme revitalises poultry sector to reduce imports
GHANA'S poultry sector is experiencing a remarkable resurgence thanks to the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Programme.
The initiative, which has enabled consistent broiler production across multiple regions, is significantly reducing the country's dependence on imported poultry products while simultaneously creating opportunities for the youth in agriculture.
During a recent tour of implementation sites, industry leaders and programme partners highlighted the transformative impact of HAPPY on the entire poultry value chain, from hatcheries to processing plants, signalling a new era of growth and self-sufficiency in Ghana's agricultural landscape.
The HAPPY Programme which started in December 2023, aims to create 326,000 dignified jobs for youth in Ghana, with a focus on women and persons with disabilities.
It targets youth aged 15-35 and aims to boost productivity in rice, soy, tomato, and poultry value chains to reduce import dependency.
The four-year initiative is being implemented by eight organisations namely: Newage Agric Solutions, National Service Scheme (NSS), Ghana CARES (MiDA), Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), TechnoServe, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Jobberman.
Over 80,000 young people have so far been engaged under the programme.
Visit to farms
A joint team from the Mastercard Foundation and Agri-Impact Limited visited implementation sites of the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Programme in Bono, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
In Sunyani, Bono Region, the team toured NAPLE Betta’s plant, an anchor partner that supplies poultry feed for the HAPPY Broilers programme.
The Chief Executive Officer of Yedent Agro Group and NAPLE Betta, Samuel Ntim, emphasised how the HAPPY Programme has revitalised Ghana’s poultry sector by enabling consistent broiler production and reducing reliance on imports.
He also highlighted investments made by partners to expand the programme and empower more youth.
“The Happy Programme has brought life into hatcheries, processing and other value-addition activities along the broiler value chain,” Ntim said.
Led by Judith Akoto, Impact Lead at Mastercard Foundation, the team visited Jobyco poultry processing plant, St Charles Hatchery, and GINAACO Farms in Dormaa, where they interacted with young participants and managers.
They also visited the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where a former pigsty was transformed into a broiler production house under the HAPPY Programme, engaging with enthusiastic youth involved in the project.
NSS tomato farm
The team then visited the National Service Secretariat’s farm in Sekyere Afram Plains, Ashanti Region, where they monitored progress in tomato production and interacted with the National Service personnel and the local youth involved in the project.
At Kasunya in the Shai-Osudoku district in Accra, the team toured Agro Kings’ rice farms, where founder and Chief Farmer Nana Owusu-Achau highlighted how the programme has reduced land rental costs and provided working capital to the youth in the form of starter packs in agro inputs and other services enabling Agro Kings to invest in further land development and irrigation, allowing more youth to be onboarded.
“It’s been a pleasure hosting Agri-Impact Limited and Mastercard Foundation to see the direct impact of our partnership over the last few months. At Agro Kings, we’ve focused directly on securing land and developing land banks including irrigation facilities, enabling these young farmers to farm year-round.
“This minimises or eliminates downtime in their productivity. Another benefit of the HAPPY programme is that, without it, these young farmers would have rented a hectare of land for about GH¢8,000, but through the programme, they can do so for significantly less (GH¢100),” he stated.
He said this makes a big difference for a young farmer looking to jumpstart their agribusiness career.
“Under this programme, we’ve also onboarded individuals with different abilities who work with the administrative teams to track all the information and data related to the HAPPY farmers,” Owusu-Achau added.
Empowering youth
Head of Entrepreneurship Development at Mastercard Foundation Ghana, Gottfried Odamtten-Sowah, expressed his excitement after the tour, praising the programme for providing wrap-around services such as financing, market access and capacity building.
He commended the programme's focus on empowering youth and described the participants as highly motivated and happy.
"I’m blown away. This is an incredible model. To a large extent, this is exactly what we’ve been talking about—working with young people, providing them with wraparound services such as access to finance, markets, capacity building, and helping them transition into dignified and fulfilling work.”
“The young people I interacted with are excited. You can tell from their demeanour that they are happy working on the HAPPY project. I’m truly impressed. This is the story we should be sharing more. We believe you're on the right path, and with what we’ve started, we expect to see much more of this happening,” Odamtten-Sowah added.