MASO is a five year programme, focused on creating employment opportunities for the youth (aged 18-25) in Ghana’s cocoa communities.
Joyce Pomah is a 24 year native of Adiembrah, a cocoa-growing community in the Asunafo North District of the Brong Ahafo region. Joyce joined the MASO Programme in 2016 to train as a cocoa farmer.
“I am convinced I will become a better cocoa farmer in this community. The training my colleagues and I received will help us grow cocoa and manage our farms differently. My family has given me a piece of land of about one and a half acres and I am going to start my own cocoa farm. This means I will apply all the lessons as I start my own farm. Cocoa farming is not an easy task especially for me as a woman, but I won’t give up.” Joyce said.
Joyce is hopeful the MASO programme will provide a viable economic venture for youth in her community and encourages her colleagues to take the training seriously as they are acquiring additional business and life skills.
Joyce is one of 2038 young people who participated in the cohort 1 of the MASO Programme. She went through a 12 month period of training on good agronomic practices specific to the cocoa sector and a combination of social, financial and leadership skills (life skills); an approach which is new to the cocoa sector.
