In Ghana, agriculture continues to hold enormous potential for economic growth, employment, and food innovation. Yet for many young people, accessing meaningful opportunities within the sector can still be a challenge. Across the country, a new generation of entrepreneurs is beginning to change that narrative — using innovation to solve local problems, create jobs, and transform food systems.
One of such businesses is Deecom Nutrifoods, a youth-led agribusiness leveraging food innovation to create value within the soybean value chain while improving market access for farmers and providing healthier protein alternatives for consumers.
Deecom Nutrifoods works directly with soybean farmers, creating reliable market opportunities for their produce while processing soybeans into nutritious plant-based protein products that serve as alternatives to meat for vegetarians, vegans, and individuals seeking to reduce meat consumption either by choice, health needs, or affordability.
At the center of the business is a simple but powerful idea — transforming locally grown agricultural produce into innovative food solutions that improve livelihoods and respond to changing consumer needs. By adding value to soybeans locally, Deecom Nutrifoods is not only supporting farmers but also contributing to food sustainability, nutrition, and inclusive economic growth.
The impact of the business goes beyond food production. Deecom Nutrifoods represents a growing shift in how young entrepreneurs are approaching agriculture — not simply as farming, but as a space for innovation, enterprise, manufacturing, and systems transformation.
For the founders, entrepreneurship became a pathway from ambition to opportunity. Through determination, innovation, and support from Kosmos Innovation Center in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, they have been able to grow their idea into a business creating jobs and generating impact within communities. Their journey reflects the importance of equipping young people with the skills, networks, mentorship, and entrepreneurial mindset needed to build sustainable businesses.
Through incubation and entrepreneurship support programs, Kosmos Innovation Center continues to empower young innovators to identify challenges within Ghana’s agricultural sector and develop practical business solutions capable of creating employment and transforming local economies, under the Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT).
At the individual level, businesses like Deecom Nutrifoods are empowering young entrepreneurs to become job creators rather than job seekers. Through innovation and enterprise development, young people are gaining confidence, leadership skills, financial independence, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to national development.
At the community level, the business is strengthening local agricultural value chains by providing direct markets for soybean farmers while supporting livelihoods through value addition and food processing. The availability of locally produced plant-based protein products also contributes to improved nutrition choices and food accessibility within communities. Deecom has also partnered with Premium Biofert Ltd. to train smallholder farmers on how to use Soybean chaff and residue to make compost to grow their crops without effectively relying on fertilizers.
At the systems level, Deecom Nutrifoods demonstrates the growing importance of food innovation and agribusiness entrepreneurship in shaping the future of agriculture in Ghana. The business reflects how youth-led enterprises can drive transformation across food systems by reducing dependency on imported products, encouraging local manufacturing, supporting sustainable consumption patterns, and creating new economic opportunities within agriculture.
As Kosmos Innovation Center celebrates 10 years of impact, stories like Deecom Nutrifoods highlight the organization’s commitment to building the next generation of entrepreneurs who are not only building businesses, but creating solutions that transform lives, communities, and industries.
By investing in innovation, entrepreneurial development, and youth potential, KIC continues to create pathways for young people across Ghana to turn ideas into enterprises, enterprises into jobs, and jobs into lasting impact.
