How Fidelity Bank and Mastercard Foundation BRIDGE-in-Agriculture Program is Empowering Ghana’s Women and Youth

A Story of Resilience: Meet Oforiwaa

Oforiwaa, hailing from a generational farming community in rural Ghana, learned essential farming skills from her mother and grandmother. She cultivates maize, cassava, and maize on her family’s land, driven by economic necessity, cultural pride, and a fierce determination to secure her children’s future.

Yet, like millions of Ghanaian women and youth in agriculture, she faces systemic hurdles: limited access to land, climate variability, and outdated farming practices. Oforiwaa dreams of a better future – one where her children receive a quality education, perhaps even venturing beyond agriculture, and where she can expand her farm, increase her maize production, and maybe even invest in her own small agribusiness.

The Landscape of Ghanaian Agriculture

Oforiwaa’s story mirrors Ghana’s paradox. The nation boasts fertile land and a vibrant agricultural heritage, yet struggles with food insecurity, youth unemployment, and gender disparities. With 52.3% of Ghanaians under the age of 25, according to the World Bank (2023), many young people view farming as a last resort, driven away by perceptions of low pay and outdated practices, fuelling a rural-urban migration that drains agricultural communities of their most dynamic workforce.

Compounding this issue is gender inequality: women, who constitute 49% of the agricultural workforce (IFAD, 2023), face systemic barriers such as lack of capital, restricted land ownership, limited access to training, and cultural biases that sideline their contributions. Meanwhile, financial institutions allocate a meagre 3.2% of loans to agriculture as reported by PwC’s Ghana Banking Survey, leaving smallholders and SMEs stranded in a sector that contributes 20.9% of Ghana’s GDP and employs over half its population according to the Ghana Statistical Service (2023). Add erratic rainfall, soil degradation, and climate volatility to the mix, and it becomes clear why farmers like Oforiwaa—a generational cocoa grower in rural Ghana—struggle to turn their dreams of thriving agribusinesses into reality.

A Seismic Shift Needed

While various initiatives, such as USAID's Feed the Future, IFAD's programs, the African Development Bank's ENABLE Youth Programme, and the Kosmos Innovation Center's Agritech Challenge, are working to address these issues, significant challenges remain. A key shift is needed – a transformation of agriculture from a sector perceived as outdated and unappealing to one that is vibrant, well-represented, and attractive to young people. This requires improving access to finance, empowering women and youth, fostering skills development, and building a deeper understanding of the entire agricultural ecosystem.

BRIDGE-in-Agriculture: A Comprehensive Response

Fidelity Bank, recognizing the critical role of agriculture in Ghana's economy, is stepping up to address these challenges. Enter its BRIDGE-in-Agriculture (BiA) program, a transformative 5-year initiative launched in January 2024 in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. BiA is designed to dismantle systemic barriers in the agriculture and adjacent sectors through a holistic, multi-pronged approach. First, it addresses the funding gap head-on, having disbursed GH¢47.97 million to SMEs and smallholders, with 41.92% of beneficiaries being young women between the ages of 18-35 years. This commitment is amplified by Fidelity Bank’s allocation of 10% of its loan portfolio to agriculture—three times the industry average—empowering farmers to scale sustainably.

Technical Assistance & Capacity Building

Financial support is only part of the solution. Through partnerships with implementing partners including CrossBoundary, Peswa, Africa Skills Hub and Mind Builders Africa, BiA delivers technical assistance and capacity building, training farmers in climate-smart practices, financial literacy, and digital tools. Since the launch of BiA in January 2024, Fidelity Bank’s efforts have contributed to the creation of 1,790 new jobs, sustained 3,209 existing jobs, and impacted over 11,000 smallholder farmers. Another critical pillar – market access – is being facilitated by supporting beneficiary businesses, such as Saving Grains to connect farmers to buyers and reduce post-harvest losses.

Gender & Youth Inclusion

Gender and youth inclusion form the backbone and critical impact focus of the BiA program. Affordable credit facilities and guarantees have been tailored to effectively support businesses owned by women and youth as well as enterprises employing women and youth. Fidelity Bank also deploys digital literacy programs which help to dismantle the urban-rural divide. For

women like Oforiwaa, who once battled cultural norms limiting her land access, BiA’s low-interest loan enabled her to acquire drought-resistant seedlings and a solar-powered irrigation system, doubling her maize yields. As her burgeoning business grows and thrives, Oforiwaa is seen as a role model and serves as a mentor for young women in her community, proving that agriculture can be both a viable livelihood and a legacy.

Impact in Action: Voices from the Field

The ripple effects of BiA’s work are profound. Take Pitiku Plantations, which declared, “Thanks to the BiA loan, we have expanded and employed more youth and women. Now we don’t just grow crops—we grow opportunities.” Similarly, JMD Agro-Processing shared how the funds helped them “expand my business, create jobs, and enhance livelihoods in my community,” while Green Farms highlighted how digital training revolutionized irrigation management and market linkages. These stories reflect BiA’s broader mission: to rebrand farming as a tech-driven, profitable career for Ghana’s youth. Partnerships with the Kosmos Innovation Center and advocacy collaborations with institutions like IFAD and the African Development Bank are paving the way for policy reforms, from gender-responsive land ownership to digital inclusion.

The Bigger Picture: Building a Resilient Future

At its core, BiA recognizes that although agriculture is about crops, more importantly, it’s about people. By targeting women, youth, and smallholders, Fidelity Bank is addressing root causes of poverty and migration. Training in sustainable practices like crop rotation and organic fertilizers equips farmers to combat climate shocks, while some of the bank’s initiatives such as the GreenTech Innovation Challenge, inspires a new generation of entrepreneurs to view farming through a lens of innovation.

Conclusion: Harvesting Hope

Ghana’s agricultural transformation hinges on bold, inclusive solutions, and Fidelity Bank’s BiA program with the Mastercard Foundation is proving that when financial institutions prioritize purpose over profit, entire communities thrive. For Oforiwaa, the dream of a thriving agribusiness is no longer a mirage—it’s a harvest within reach. As Ghana strides toward food security and economic empowerment, Fidelity Bank’s message resonates clearly: The future of agriculture is female, young, and digital. And we’re here to fund the journey.

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