WFP partners Gratis Foundation to boost local agricultural equipment production

The World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Gratis Foundation, an agro, food processing and sanitation equipment-making institution, has rolled out the Local Artisanal Fabricator Initiative to train women and young people in fabricating agro-processing equipment. 

The $500,000 valued initiative aimed to build the capacity of local artisans to fabricate quality agro-processing equipment, as well as reduce post-harvest losses faced by smallholder farmers, especially women, and also create jobs.

The programme, which was rolled out in Tema in the Greater Accra Region last Monday (August 11, 2025), is expected to offer hands-on training to over 283 artisans across 11 regions. The regions are Eastern, Oti, Volta, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West, and Upper East.

Under the initiative, over 350 maize and soy threshers would be fabricated by the beneficiaries.

Per the scope of the project, the fabricators will receive hands-on training in precision fabrication using advanced engineering machinery at Gratis Foundation’s Rural Technology Centres nationwide.

Impact

Speaking at the event, the Head of Food Systems at the WFP Ghana, Steven Odarteifio, said the equipment fabricated by the local artisans would be deployed to support more than 20,000 smallholder farmers in the northern part of the country.

He indicated that the operation and maintenance of the threshers would be led by 400 young agricultural engineering graduates trained by WFP, from agricultural colleges, schools of agriculture, and universities across the country.

Beyond empowering farmers, Mr Odarteifio said the project would create over 600 additional jobs in the local fabrication sector.

He emphasised that the initiative was a strategic blueprint to demonstrate the country’s potential to produce its own agricultural machinery, where local capacity would be supported.

The WFP Head of Food Systems affirmed that the initiative would open opportunities to expand this model and strengthen rural livelihoods through innovation and local skills.

The Deputy Country Director of WFP, Nicole Carn, said the programme stemmed from an assessment report conducted by the Food Systems Unit under the WFP.

The report, according to her, revealed that there was a limited availability of essential equipment such as welding machines, grinders and cutters, as well as difficulty in attracting and retaining youth due to limited resource availability for year-round engagement.

She indicated that with fabricators often struggling with insufficient funds to purchase raw materials for their projects, there was a need for greater capacity to train more young people in fabrication skills.

Ms Carn affirmed that by leveraging the expertise of Gratis Foundation and the ingenuity of local fabricators, the initiative would contribute significantly to post-harvest loss reduction and food security, while proving the viability of large-scale, locally driven agricultural engineering solutions. 

Shaping the future

In his address, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Gratis Foundation, Nana Kwabena Adjei-Anafo, said the beneficiaries would have the opportunity to learn how to make threshers.

“They'll learn to fabricate equipment such as maize and soybean threshers, while also gaining business and safety skills.

Upon successful completion, many will be awarded contracts to supply this equipment to farmer groups - creating jobs and boosting rural productivity,” he said.

Nana Adjei-Anomafo said Gratis was committed to delivering excellence as it believed that local problems deserved local solutions.

He urged the artisans to take the training seriously, as the skills they would obtain had the tendency to shape the country’s future.