MASO is a five year programme, focused on creating employment opportunities for the youth (aged 18-25) in Ghana’s cocoa communities.
My name is Samuel Ocran from Assin Mankata , Central Region .I joined MASO in 2016 and i will like to tell you my story so far.
I was an auto electrician in Accra for 4 years. Then I learned that my father was not feeling well so I had to come back to the village to take care of him and his farm. I now own 6 to 7 acres but I only cleared 2 acres to plant cocoa under the MASO project. Growing up while working on my Dad’s farm we used to broadcast the cocoa seeds. As a result, the cocoa grows so compact which makes working in the farm rather difficult.
MASO introduced me to the proper way to cultivating cocoa with lining and proper dimensions. I now have an accurate estimate of how many cocoa trees I have, I work more easily in the farm, and actually enjoy my work.
MASO taught me how to keep records and calculate my expenditures. With that understanding, I now know how much I can invest, quantity of agrochemical and how much risk to take.This makes decision making much easier. A challenge I am facing right is with buying chemicals. If a chemical cost 20 cedis and I need 10 cedis to buy it from the closest town, I would rather stay here and pay 25 cedis or so for the chemical. I would be happy if Saviour my MASO col league opened an agrochemical business here in the community.
As a result of my prior experience and skills as an auto electrician in Accra, I am considering starting a business where I will be repairing spraying machines for farmers.
Reflecting back on the things that I have learned through MASO, I am confident that I can work hard and become somebody in the future.
Samuel Ocran of Assin Mankata, Central Region
