A lot of the time, young people I know give up on their goals or certain business ventures because they don't have the money to see them through to completion.
The only thing that separates these young people and me is that, despite our practically identical circumstances, I have decided never to give up. Even though I'm having a lot of difficulties and setbacks, I've decided not to give up on my dream or the massive project I want to work on.
When I was a student at the university, a fellow student posed a question. I answered it, and the professor encouraged me after the class, which resulted in the creation of Higher Heights Foundation. Today, the Higher Heights Foundation has made a significant difference in about eight underprivileged basic schools, seven villages have been visited, and 4,500 schoolchildren have benefited in some form.
Let's fast-forward to when I finished my university education and completed my national service at the Akuapim South Municipal Assembly, specifically in the Human Resource Department—a place I would love to visit again—and now I find myself in a difficult situation where I occasionally go an entire day without eating because I am unemployed.
Being both an idealist and a pragmatist, I sat down to sketch my idea for a massive agricultural enterprise that I dubbed FarmFeed Ghana.
I thought about the fact that, money or no money, we would still eat when we woke up from bed
The plan is to establish and launch a massive farming enterprise in Ghana. The goal is to have at least 500 acres of year-round agricultural land that are productive. The goal is to build this massive farming enterprise and produce an excess of food so that Ghana, my dear country, will always have an abundance of food. I think this will assist slightly lower living expenses and create jobs for my fellow young people who graduated from university and are currently unemployed.
I seem to recall writing once that the globe could be fed by the soil of Africa. My present challenges and pains are related to finding grants and funding for this massive farming enterprise. When I went to several financial institutions in 2023 to explain the idea and beg for funding, none of them would even consider giving me a loan of Gh1,000, let alone a grant or a loan of Gh400,000, which is the project's initial budget.
I told myself that I would not give up on the idea, so I cast a wide net. Later, in November 2023, I found a financial organisation in the Philippines that provides stock loans to larger institutions for business purposes.
Despite the fact that my FarmFeed Ghana initiative is just getting started, I was able to speak with them during our meetings, and they agreed to lend me $1 million with a 5.99% interest rate. Later, when I called my bank to ask for assistance in securing the funds necessary to finish the project from start to finish, my financial institution informed me that they could not help. This is a result of the lack of something priceless that they can hang onto from me.
Actually, I also have nothing. After graduating from college and doing my national service a year ago,... I have nothing again except for my Ghana Card because we are currently unemployed. These days, we sometimes go to bed not even knowing where we will get our next meal because things have gotten so hard.
The 31st of December 2023 stands out since I skipped meals for the entire day because we do not have money. The dream of the massive agricultural enterprise is still going strong. I am currently appealing with the public, organisations, or anybody that have the financial means to assist me. I am ever ready to sit and talk with anyone that will be interested and would want to assist me financially.
Deep within me, I'm feeling the pain, but the dream will never be aborted.
My name is Samuel Obeng Badu. Email, samuelsoba14@gmail.com Contact, +233208996986
God bless us all