2020 marked the final year of the MASO programme, focused on creating employment opportunities for youth (aged 18-25) in Ghana’s cocoa communities. MASO is part of the Youth Forward initiative, a partnership led by The MasterCard Foundation, Overseas Development Institute, Global Communities, Solidaridad, NCBACLUSA and GOAL. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the close-out sessions of the Next Generation Cocoa Youth (MASO) programme were postponed and finally held in May 2021. At the closeout event, the project partners took stock with stakeholders, reflected on the results achieved and lessons learned, to guide similar future interventions so that now trained and capacitated youth do not go into hibernation with the programme’s end.
The MASO programme was targeted at not-in-school youth, living under the $2 per day poverty line, in the following cocoa-growing regions of the country, including Afadzato South, Hohoe, Adanse South, Assin Foso, Bia West, Ho West, Kasapin and Sewfwi-Wiawso.
