Youth Agripreneurs Get Spotlight at Finance Summit in Kumasi
Young agripreneurs in Ghana are set to benefit from new financing and equipment opportunities following the 2025 Agri-SME & Finance Summit held in Kumasi under the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) program.
The summit, hosted by TechnoServe in collaboration with Agri-Impact Limited and the Mastercard Foundation, convened agribusiness owners, banks, equipment suppliers, and other market actors to address one of the sector’s biggest challenges—access to affordable finance and modern technology.
Organizers described the event as a “deal-making marketplace” where 21 HAPPY-supported agribusinesses showcased their operations and explored partnerships with financial institutions and service providers.
In his opening remarks, TechnoServe’s Program Director, Frank Obiora Mgbemena, emphasized the importance of collaboration.
“Transformation in agriculture requires every actor—agribusinesses, financiers, government, and technology providers—to work together. Alone, none of us can achieve the scale of change needed,” he noted.
Launched in 2023, the HAPPY Program seeks to create 326,000 dignified jobs for young people, with a special focus on women and persons with disabilities. The program supports agribusinesses in four value chains—poultry, rice, soybean, and tomato—through catalytic capital, microgrants, and training clinics.
Speaking on the theme “Powering Agribusiness Transformation in Ghana,” Agri-Impact Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Acquaye, urged stakeholders to pursue bold reforms.
“Agriculture employs over 42 percent of Ghanaians, yet youth unemployment is rising. What we need now is not more pilots but scaling up successful models and changing policies to make local agribusiness competitive,” he said.
Mr. Acquaye also called for the establishment of a dedicated agricultural fund, similar to the GETFund for education, to drive investment in infrastructure and markets.
The impact of the HAPPY Program is already being felt. Zeinab Acheampong of Hakama Company Limited, a family-owned tomato processing firm, said the program had enabled them to expand operations and employ more youth.
“The catalytic funds and training have not only given us capital but also helped us put systems in place to attract financial institutions,” she explained.
Organizers say the summit is expected to generate new financing pipelines and partnerships that will allow youth-led agribusinesses to scale up, reduce post-harvest losses, and boost value addition in Ghana’s agriculture sector.
