A 20-acre pilot across 10 institutions will link vocational training to commercial vegetable production, with plans to expand the model nationwide.
Award-winning agribusiness player Maphlix Trust Ghana Limited is partnering the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service to turn school farms into practical training grounds and business opportunities for students, providing production inputs, technical support and access to markets as part of efforts to promote agribusiness and tackle unemployment.
The initiative has begun with 10 institutions cultivating tomatoes across about 20 acres. Maphlix is providing production inputs and technical support and has committed to buying produce that meets its requirements after the cost of inputs has been accounted for.
The arrangement is designed to give students practical farming experience, create opportunities for alternative livelihoods and help address supply gaps in the tomato market, while giving the company another potential source of produce.
The 10 participating institutions are Prampram Technical Institute, Afienya Technical Institute, Anfoeta Technical Institute, Sovie Technical Institute, Kpando Technical Institute, Fr. Dogli Memorial Technical Institute, Amankwakrom Fisheries and Agriculture Technical Institute, Asakraka Technical Institute, Abetifi Kyemasi Technical Institute and Abetifi Technical Institute.
Managing Director of Maphlix Trust, Dr Felix Mawuli Kamassah, said the initiative was intended to introduce students to entrepreneurship before they completed their training.
“With this arrangement, we want to help solve unemployment,” he told The High Street Journal in an interview after the company signed an agreement with the TVET Service.
He said many TVET institutions had substantial land that could be used for production, allowing students to combine their vocational training with commercial agriculture.
The initiative is also expected to help students understand the business side of farming, including production, market requirements and the opportunities available in agribusiness.
From School Farms to Commercial Production
National Coordinator for Agriculture at the TVET Service, Jasper Akafo, said the partnership was initially being implemented in the 10 institutions across the Volta, Oti and Eastern regions.
The institutions are collectively cultivating about 20 acres of tomatoes as part of the pilot, which is intended to test the arrangement before it is extended to more schools.
Mr Akafo said the programme was not restricted to institutions that offered agriculture courses. Instead, the TVET Service wants students across its training system to gain exposure to agricultural production as an additional livelihood option.
The service has more than 260 operational institutions nationwide, creating scope for expansion if the pilot proves workable.
Although some institutions already operate farms, the partnership with Maphlix is intended to widen participation and establish a stronger connection between school-based production and commercial demand.
The company is an export-oriented agricultural business, making production standards an important part of the arrangement. Produce will be sorted according to the company’s requirements, with qualifying tomatoes available for purchase by Maphlix.
For the schools, the model provides a potential market for their produce. For the company, it offers an opportunity to source vegetables from participating institutions while helping build production capacity.
Tackling Tomato Supply Constraints
The initial focus on tomatoes reflects the partners’ interest in increasing production of a vegetable that has faced supply challenges in Ghana.
Under the arrangement, the institutions can use available land to grow tomatoes for their own needs and potential commercial sales. Produce that meets Maphlix’s requirements can enter its supply chain, subject to the terms of the partnership.
Dr Kamassah said the broader objective was to help students develop an understanding of agribusiness before leaving school, rather than treating farming solely as a classroom subject.
The pilot’s first production cycle is expected to provide an early indication of how well the model works. Mr Akafo said the institutions had planted their crops, with some already beginning to fruit, and harvesting was expected before the end of the year.
The results will be important in determining how quickly the programme can expand and whether production can be aligned with the company’s requirements across more locations.
Practical Training Beyond the Farm
The partnership is also expected to create opportunities for workplace experience learning, an important component of TVET training.
Mr Akafo said students would have opportunities to learn from Maphlix’s farming operations and facilities, while facilitators could receive exposure to modern production methods.
He identified greenhouse farming and climate-smart agriculture as areas in which the TVET Service wanted to build its capacity.
The arrangement could therefore extend beyond supplying inputs and buying produce to improving the practical skills of students and instructors.
For trainees, the experience could provide a foundation for starting agricultural businesses or pursuing employment in commercial farming. For the TVET Service, it offers a way to connect classroom instruction with current industry practices.
Expansion Will Depend on Partnerships
The TVET Service intends to bring more institutions into the programme as lessons emerge from the pilot. The partners are also considering expanding beyond tomatoes to other vegetables, depending on market demand and the production capacity of participating schools.
Mr Akafo said the service was open to working with other companies and buyers interested in sourcing produce from its institutions, provided they offered the support needed to meet production requirements.
He stressed that the institutions were primarily training centres, not commercial farms, and would need appropriate inputs and other assistance to fulfil buyers’ orders.
The longer-term ambition is to extend agricultural activities beyond crops to areas such as animal husbandry and aquaculture.
For Maphlix and the TVET Service, the immediate test is whether the 10-school pilot can deliver consistent production, meet market standards and provide meaningful training and income opportunities.
If it succeeds, the model could offer a practical route for putting underused school land to work while giving vocational training a stronger connection to Ghana’s agricultural economy.
