The World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to several Ghanaian startups working to reduce post-harvest losses.
The funding was awarded after an Agribusiness Competition held at the University of Ghana, where young entrepreneurs presented innovative ideas for processing and preserving agricultural produce in sustainable and climate-friendly ways.
Startups showcased technologies like solar dryers, rice-based cosmetics, intelligent storage systems, and powdered tomato products to a panel of experts during the three-day event.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Ms Aurore Rusiga, Country Director of the WFP, praised the ingenuity of the participating startups. She said, “Reducing post-harvest losses could substantially boost food availability, enhance national food security, and improve incomes for farmers and agribusinesses.”
She reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to empowering youth and youth-led innovation, adding that their work was vital in creating resilient and inclusive food systems.
“Ghana’s food revolution is no longer a dream, but already in motion considering the efforts of researchers, financial institutions, agro-industry, farmers and ingenious innovation of our young people in the agriculture sector, without forgetting the unwavering support of the government,” she said.
According to the WFP, agriculture makes up over 21% of Ghana’s GDP and employs nearly 60% of the population, occupying about 65% of the country’s land.
However, the government loses an estimated $1.9 billion annually due to post-harvest waste resulting from poor storage, inadequate processing, and weak infrastructure.
Mr Steven Nhyira Odarteifio, Coordinator for Food Systems at WFP, added that their goal was to connect these innovations to smallholder farmers.
“We are dedicating between $1,000 $10,000 of funding available to these young, brilliant minds, so that for whatever feedback we give them, whatever presentations they’ve made to us, we can then stagger these payments and charges as they meet KPIs we’ve set for them to achieve that scale,” he explained.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance food security and unlock the potential of Ghana’s agribusiness sector by promoting value addition and reducing waste throughout the country’s agricultural value chain.
