Mastercard Foundation Partners E-Learning Centre on The Happy Project Initiative

Over 350,000 jobs will be created, enhanced and sustained for the youth and persons with disability with women constituting over 70%.

This initiative is through the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) programme – a co-created, consortium-managed project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, Agri Impact and the KNUST E-Learning Centre.

The focus is to attract and create career opportunities for over 8,000 youth in agriculture for a four-year period. The HAPPY programme has taken a special interest in women, to improve their well-being, resilience, and participation in Ghana’s formal agribusiness and other sectors.

However, the minimal use of ICT in the agricultural industry is making the profession unappealing to the youth.

The E-Learning Centre of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology will deploy technology to support the HAPPY project. The use of technology in basic agricultural practices will alleviate the present pressure on farmers and make agriculture attractive to the youth.

Director of the E-Learning Centre, Professor Eric Appau Asante, says the E -learning Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facility, soft skills and infrastructure to support this project.

“Today’s youth are very conversant with technology of different forms. What is left is how to adapt and apply these technological skills which we will expose to them. We will use various models of training in agric so they can fall in love with the practice.

They can also gainfully get themselves employed in the areas of agriculture,” he said. The E- Learning Centre of the KNUST is mandated to oversee the E-Applications at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, deploy them for teaching and learning, and support other partner institutions.

The Centre has partnered the Mastercard Foundation on several fronts, from the E-Learning initiative of the Mastercard Foundation project, as well as the Mastercard health collaborative project. The E-Learning Centre is committed to train the youth on the use of technology to better their lots in agriculture.

Published:5th March 2024 Source: KNUST E-Learning Centre