MASO is a five year programme, focused on creating employment opportunities for the youth (aged 18-25) in Ghana’s cocoa communities.
Andrews Fosu lives in Kasapin, a farming community in the Ahafo Region of Ghana. Andrew is the proud owner of an agro-input store in his community. An activity that enables him to make significant contribution to agriculture in his community.
Andrew started out as a young farmer in his community. Being the eldest of 6 children, he decided to put the brakes on his studies after Senior Secondary education in order to allow his younger siblings to also go through school due to financial challenges. He therefore started working on his father’s 1-acre cocoa farm.
Andrew Fosu in front of his agro-input shop
In 2016, the Next Generation Cocoa Youth Programme (MASO) was started by Solidaridad West Africa to create opportunity to the youth to participate in cocoa sector. MASO supports out-of-school youth to learn skills in cocoa cultivation and become entrepreneurs providing relevant services to farmers and their communities.
Andrew Fosu serving a customer
Andrew is of one of the pioneers of the MASO Programme in Kasapin, he joined the first cohort in 2016. He enrolled in the Cocoa Academy to receive practical training in best agronomic practices in cocoa cultivation. Later, he joined the Business Academy and received training on how to start and manage his own business, Andrew identified a business opportunity to provide agro-inputs in his community. Giving life, to his dream of establishing his own business.
He started a modest agro-input business three years ago with a total investment of GHs 2,200 cedis (406 dollars). In addition to selling agro-inputs, Andrew provides a ‘mobile money’ transaction service to his community. The business now operates from a shop and is worth GHs 15,000 cedis (2,771 dollars). He hopes to grow his agro-input business into a rural service centre that provides a range of inputs and services to farmers in and around his community.
Andrew says the success of his business can be attributed to the training he received.
“Through MASO I learned how to start a business and manage it. i also received training in how to identify opportunities and turn that into businesses”.
Andrew Fosu , a budding agripreneur from Kasapin
