‘You need people, not money’ – Expert urges young people to explore agribusiness

Young people and aspiring entrepreneurs should not wait until they have substantial start-up capital before exploring opportunities in agribusiness, an agricultural development expert has said, urging them to identify market needs and build relationships that can help turn ideas into viable businesses.

Executive Director of the Centre for Climate Change & Food Security (CCCFS) and Director of WAJESHA, Engr Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen, says he has trained, advised and guided nearly 300 people in 2026 alone to consider opportunities in the agricultural sector.

The group includes students, graduates, businesspeople, politicians and teachers, whom he has reached through workshops, seminars, webinars, farm field visits, meetings and informal conversations, including on buses.

“Sometimes, you don't need money at the first point; you need people,” he told participants at an Agribusiness Incubation Workshop organised by residents of Jacob Jonas Nortey Hall at Valley View University’s Oyibi campus on Friday, 23 October 2026.

Held under the theme “Developing the Anti-Fragile Mindset: Agribusiness as a Catalyst,” the workshop explored how young people could approach agriculture as a business and identify opportunities across its value chain.

Mohammed-Nurudeen said aspiring entrepreneurs should begin by identifying a problem they can solve rather than pursuing immediate profits without a clear understanding of the market.

“If you really want to go into agribusiness, first problem identification. What problem do you want to address?” he asked.

He illustrated the point with the story of a woman whose business collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic but who found another source of income through the sale of locally produced rice.

According to him, she identified people who needed rice, sourced the product from producers and supplied it to customers at a price that allowed her to make a profit.

“Her business actually collapsed during the COVID-19, and she decided to solve that problem for people,” he said.

The example, he explained, demonstrates how recognising an unmet need can help people identify business opportunities even when their original plans have failed.

He also recounted how he advised a vegetable farmer who was struggling to find customers to prepare flyers and distribute them at ministries, where workers might have limited time to visit markets.

Mohammed-Nurudeen said he encouraged the farmer to offer potential customers samples of the vegetables.

“When he did that, the first week, second week, they started calling him for orders,” he said, describing the approach as an opportunity that opened the door to new customers.

The experience highlights the importance of understanding customers and actively promoting products instead of relying on production alone to generate sales.

For Mohammed-Nurudeen, relationships can help aspiring entrepreneurs find customers, obtain advice and identify potential partners before they have the resources to establish a business.

He drew on his experience travelling to nearly 2,500 communities across Ghana’s 16 regions, saying the relationships he had built over the years continued to provide access to people who could help him solve problems.

“I've travelled to many communities and at least I have friends in each of the districts that I went to,” he said.

He explained that he could contact people in those communities when he needed assistance, while relationships beyond Ghana had also helped him access professional opportunities.

He cited invitations to contribute to international work involving climate change and health as examples of how professional networks and recommendations could open doors.

“You might even have the money and you might even establish your business, but the business will collapse because you don't have that strong network system,” he cautioned.

He urged young people, particularly those below 25, to start building relationships early and not to measure every interaction by immediate financial returns.

“There are things you need to do for free and these things can bring a lot of benefits to you,” he said.

He also advised aspiring entrepreneurs to think carefully about what would distinguish their products from those of competitors.

“If you want to go into maize cultivation, there are a lot of maize farmers. What unique thing are you bringing on board that you would want people to buy your maize?” he asked.

Mohammed-Nurudeen said entering agribusiness does not necessarily mean cultivating crops or rearing animals. Opportunities also exist in processing, marketing, distribution and other activities that connect agricultural products to consumers.

“Setting up a business does not necessarily mean that you have to go and grow a crop,” he said. “You don't necessarily have to go into farming physically.”

He added: “The value chain is very long; you can choose any of them.”

The advice encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to consider how their existing skills, resources and interests could fit into different parts of the agricultural sector rather than assuming that land ownership or direct involvement in production is essential.

He also urged businesses to diversify so they could better withstand market disruptions and competition.

Using the example of a business facing new competitors offering better products or services, he asked what an entrepreneur should do when customers begin moving elsewhere.

“That is why we have always told farmers that they need to diversify,” he said.

Diversification, he explained, can create additional income streams and reduce the risks associated with depending on a single product or business activity.

Mohammed-Nurudeen challenged the idea that patience and persistence alone will guarantee business success, arguing that entrepreneurs must be willing to reassess their decisions when results do not improve.

“Many instances you can be patient for 20 years, 30 years, it won't work,” he said. “How do you persist when you are doing the wrong thing?”

He urged aspiring entrepreneurs to use their time productively, evaluate what is happening in their businesses and adjust their approaches instead of continuing with strategies that are not working.

Integrity, he added, is equally important to building a sustainable livelihood. Recounting a conversation with a retired public servant he met during a journey from Kumasi to Kintampo, Mohammed-Nurudeen said the man reflected on how he had previously withheld part of money intended for colleagues while working in public service.

The man later decided to stop the practice and share a contract payment among his team members, according to Mohammed-Nurudeen's account.

The story reinforced the advice the retired public servant had given during their roadside conversation: “Money is good, but don't be eager to make money by any means.”

For Mohammed-Nurudeen, trust and sound judgement are as important as identifying a market opportunity. A business idea may create an opening, but sustaining it requires the ability to adapt, maintain relationships and act with integrity.

The workshop forms part of efforts by residents of Jacob Jonas Nortey Hall to develop and expand their agribusiness activities. The hall has previously undertaken a yam farming project and more recently ventured into mushroom production, with plans to diversify and scale up its initiatives.

For students, graduates and others considering the sector, Mohammed-Nurudeen's message was that a lack of substantial capital need not prevent them from exploring possibilities.

Identifying a genuine need, finding ways to reach customers and building relationships can provide a starting point. The challenge, he suggested, is not simply to enter agriculture, but to identify where value can be created and remain ready to change course when circumstances demand it.