Unleashing the Potential of Agriculture for Young People in Ghana: Introducing the ACTIVATE Project

Agriculture is the backbone of Ghana’s economy, contributing 23% of GDP and employing more than half the workforce. But for many young people, agriculture has long been seen as a last resort rather than a path to opportunity. That’s changing.

Across Africa, youth are reimagining agriculture as a space for innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth. Yet challenges like limited access to land, capital, and training still hold them back.

Enter ACTIVATE: A New Future for Agricultural Training

The Accelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE) project, implemented in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, is helping to unlock agriculture’s potential for Ghana’s youth.

Over the next five years, ACTIVATE will strengthen Ghana’s agricultural training systems so that young women and men can access the practical, market-driven skills they need to thrive. More than 80,000 youth will benefit from training that prepares them for dignified work—whether starting businesses, joining growing value chains, or creating jobs for others.

Our approach goes beyond classrooms. ACTIVATE connects young people with real-world opportunities across the agricultural value chain: processing, marketing, transport, food services, agribusiness management, finance, and more. By aligning training with labour market needs, and working closely with industry, ACTIVATE is professionalizing agriculture and opening doors for youth to thrive.

From Passion to Enterprise: Gifty’s Story

For Gifty, who grew up in a farming community, agriculture was always part of life. But through ACTIVATE, she discovered a new purpose. Specializing in Oil Palm Value Chain Management, she gained hands-on training in modern farming, as well as business skills to turn her passion into a venture.

Today, Gifty runs her own brand, processing and selling palm oil and palm kernel oil. Her enterprise doesn’t just support her family—it’s creating jobs in her community. She now employs five people and dreams of expanding her business into a training center for the next generation of agripreneurs.

“Being able to create employment for others, even on a small scale, is my biggest achievement so far,” she explains. 

Building Inclusive and Sustainable Systems

At the heart of ACTIVATE is the belief that agriculture must be inclusive. Young women often face barriers to land, financing, and training. Persons with disabilities are frequently excluded from opportunities. ACTIVATE tackles these challenges directly—integrating gender-responsive approaches and amplifying marginalized voices.

The project strengthens Agricultural TVET (ATVET) providers and regulators, equips instructors with new tools, and ensures curricula are aligned with Ghana’s national policies. By emphasizing competency-based and learner-centered models, ACTIVATE prepares youth not just for jobs, but for entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation.

Powered by Partnership

ACTIVATE is implemented with national and local partners, including Social Enterprise Ghana, which provides training and resources to support economic development. Together, we are working to create pathways for internships, apprenticeships, and enterprise development that ensure young people’s skills match real market needs.

A Future Led by Youth

Agriculture is no longer just about subsistence—it is about resilience, innovation, and opportunity. With ACTIVATE, young people in Ghana are gaining the tools to drive that transformation.

They are not just the future of agriculture. They are its present. And together, we are sowing the seeds of a stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable food system.