MASO is a five year programme, focused on creating employment opportunities for the youth (aged 18-25) in Ghana’s cocoa communities.
” Life wasn’t fun when I completed Junior High School with no job and any source of income for at least three years. The only option available was farming, which I never considered a viable career choice ”.
These were the words of Godwin Lumor, a 24-year-old MASO youth farmer from Tonkoase No. 2, a community in New Edubiase ,Ashanti region ,as he recounted his MASO experience . Godwin is a MASO cohort 1 participant. He joined in 2016 when the programme recruited its maiden group of young trainees.
Today, he is a young farmer with lots of aspirations. He desires, to build his future on agriculture.
“MASO has help changed my life, I am now a cocoa and rice farmer and working tirelessly to improve my farming business”, Godwin announces.
Godwin has acquired the knowledge and technical know-how in farming through a series of training from both the MASO agro and business Academies. As a result, he sees farming as a lucrative venture.
He said, “MASO has enlightened me.I have gained better farming skills, some knowledge on entrepreneurship, and skills to improve my personal financial management”.
His farming venture
Godwin has established an acre of a cocoa farm. He hopes to expand that to three acres in the next two years to secure a living income for his future. Like many other residents in Tonkoase No.2, Godwin also owns a rice farm. While he waits for his cocoa farm to start bearing pods, he is earning some income from the rice farm.
“I harvested 15 bags of rice last season and made an income of GHc1,500 cedis”, he said. Godwin is confident of increasing his yield this year from the two and a half acres’ farm.
Godwin, although only 24 years old, has become the breadwinner of his family. He supports his parents and other siblings with earnings and food crops from his farms.
Even before his cocoa trees mature, Godwin has harvested food crops such plantain, maize and cocoyams from the young cocoa farm in the last two years. He is excited about the fact that he can provide food for his family.
Article by Isaac Debrah
