The Financial Inclusion for Last Mile Actors (FILMA) Program, a groundbreaking initiative under the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Work Strategy recently reinforced its commitment to empowering Ghana’s youth by partnering with Agrihouse Foundation for their 8th Agricultural Students’ Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue Bootcamp (AG-STUD).
This collaboration underscores FILMA’s dedication to fostering a new generation of economically empowered young Ghanaians, a core tenet of its ambitious goal to create 80,000 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities.
FILMA’s primary objective is to empower an estimated 80,000 young Ghanaians with sustainable work opportunities along the agricultural value chain by 2028.
A remarkable 70% of these opportunities are specifically reserved for young women, with a further 5% dedicated to persons with disabilities, highlighting a deep commitment to inclusivity and equity.
The collaboration with Agrihouse Foundation for their AG-STUD Bootcamp serves as a key engagement point to connect with and inspire the next wave of agricultural leaders.
Speaking at the impactful AG-STUD Bootcamp, Mr. Joseph Boateng, Lead for Access to Markets and Point Person at the FILMA Program at the Mastercard Foundation, underscored the pivotal role of youth in Ghana’s agricultural transformation.
“We simply cannot talk about national development without placing our youth, particularly young women, at the very center of our strategy,” Mr. Boateng stated.
“The FILMA Program is so much more than just creating jobs. It’s about restoring dignity, building economic resilience, and fundamentally reshaping rural economies to fully reflect the immense potential of their people.”
His words resonated deeply with the agricultural students, who represent the future of Ghana’s food security. Mr. Boateng encouraged them to “be bold, be prepared, and deeply understand the value of the work ahead. Agriculture is not just a job; it is a profound mission to feed, to build, and to lead.”
Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, expressed profound appreciation for FILMA’s invaluable support.
“This collaboration stands as a powerful testament to our shared commitment to equipping the next generation of agricultural leaders with the skills, networks, and financial tools they need to truly thrive,” she shared. “FILMA’s inspiring vision for inclusive growth aligns perfectly with the impactful work we do at Agrihouse, and together, we are creating real, tangible change at the grassroots.”
Introducing FILMA: Empowering Ghana’s Last Mile Actors
FILMA, or Financial Inclusion for Last Mile Actors, is a commitment to unlocking the potential of excluded young women, single mothers, and persons with disabilities in key rural regions across Ghana.
Recognizing that these “Last Mile Actors” (LMAs) often operate outside formal financial systems and lack access to crucial resources, FILMA’s core ambition is to weave financial inclusion interventions into the fabric of the agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sectors (AAAS), paving the way for dignified and fulfilling jobs.
Agriculture is a vital sector for Ghana’s economy, contributing significantly to its GDP and employing a substantial portion of the workforce, particularly in rural communities. FILMA directly addresses the challenges of youth unemployment and financial exclusion within these vital areas.
Our mission is clear: to significantly enhance access to affordable credit, inclusive financial services, and thriving markets for young people actively involved in the AAAS.
By focusing on up-skilling and capacity building, FILMA directly empowers financially excluded LMAs, fuelling entrepreneurship, boosting productivity, and ultimately creating sustainable economic opportunities.
Our overarching goal is to reach 100,000 youth; primarily young women and persons with disability, across 18 districts in the Volta, Oti, Bono-East, and Northern Regions to achieve dignified and fulfilling work.
Of this target, 80,000 individuals from vulnerable communities will receive crucial capacity building and technical assistance, directly leading to new job creation.
We are deeply committed to gender equality and inclusion, with a target of at least 70% of jobs for young women and 5% for persons with disabilities.
Beyond direct job creation, our core program objectives are focused on creating real change on the ground.
This involves building capacity for effective solutions and sustainable development outcomes, enhancing the availability of affordable and sustainable financial services to ensure equitable access for LMAs, ensuring fair pricing and sustainable trade to boost market access and growth for the LMAs driving economic growth, and integrating LMAs into formal pension schemes and improving accessibility to micro-insurance.
Achieving these objectives is paramount to fostering improved productivity, broadening access to and effective use of financial services, connecting LMAs with profitable markets, enhancing financial and digital literacy, and encouraging the adoption of Value-Added Financial Services (VAFS).
The ultimate outcome will be strengthened financial inclusion, enhanced resilience, and improved livelihoods for LMAs across the target regions.
A Collaborative Approach to Impact
FILMA’s strength lies in its collaborative spirit. The program is implemented by a carefully selected consortium of four organizations, each bringing a wealth of experience and specialized expertise: Temple Investments Limited (“Temple”), AV Ventures LLC (“AVV”), SEND Ghana (“SEND”), and Catholic Relief Services, Ghana (“CRS” Ghana).
These partners have a proven track record in providing crucial financing, effectively managing complex multi-sectoral programs, and successfully supporting rural youth self-employment initiatives.
The key roles of the Consortium Partners are outlined as follows:
- Temple Investments Limited (“Temple”): As the Consortium Lead and the Lead Implementing Partner for the Access to Inclusive Financial Services Intervention, Temple brings over a decade of Ghanaian experience in fund management and advisory, driven by a deep commitment to social impact. Temple will spearhead the provision of financial services through the innovative Catalytic Finance Facility (CFF).
- Catholic Relief Services (“CRS”): Serving as the Implementing Partner for the Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Intervention and the Lead for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, CRS-Ghana offers extensive global and local expertise in youth and financial inclusion, agricultural programming, and effective consortium management. CRS will lead community mobilization, capacity building initiatives, and crucial market linkage programs.
- AV Ventures LLC (“AVV”): As the Lead Implementing Partner for the Access to Markets Intervention, AVV, the impact investment arm of ACDI/VOCA with a dedicated team in Ghana, provides innovative financing solutions to SMEs and implements impactful market systems programs. AV Ventures will drive business development services and invest in vital agribusinesses and market linkage programs.
- SEND Ghana (“SEND”): Taking the lead as the Implementing Partner for the Ecosystem Development Intervention, SEND Ghana, a respected non-governmental organization, focuses on promoting good governance, social accountability, and inclusive development across Ghana. SEND will champion policy change, advocate for gender equality, and strengthen essential civil society organizations.
Furthermore, we are proud to collaborate with Enterprise Insurance Life who will provide LMAs with crucial micro-insurance and micro-pensions, building their resilience against unforeseen challenges and securing their future.
This thoughtfully designed collaborative structure, leveraging the unique strengths of each partner, ensures the effective implementation of FILMA’s integrated and complementary interventions.
These interventions are strategically designed to address both the demand and supply-side challenges that currently hinder financial inclusion for LMAs.
As Ghana looks towards a prosperous future, the strategic alliance between FILMA and organizations like Agrihouse Foundation stands as a beacon of hope, demonstrating how targeted interventions and collaborative efforts can truly empower a generation and reshape a nation. Stay tuned for updates on this transformative journey.
