Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa- AGRA Africa has launched an ambitious program aimed at creating 1.5 million jobs for young farmers in Africa.
The initiative, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, seeks to empower young people to take up agriculture as a viable business opportunity.
According to Dr. Jeremiah Rogito, a leading expert on climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture, providing young people with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to succeed, will unlock a new era of innovation and productivity in agriculture.
The program, dubbed, Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Agriculture (YEFFA), is in Ghana and Rwanda and currently Uganda.
“The future of food and agriculture in Uganda depends on our ability to empower young people to take up agriculture as a viable business opportunity. We must work together to create an enabling environment that supports youth entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture.” Dr. Rogito emphasizes.
Soon the program will extend to Kenya and Ethiopia, while engaging young people in various agricultural value chain activities, with a goal to over 10 million youth in Africa.
“All these voices will be consolidated into regional voices and brought together at the Africa Food System Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 2nd to 6th and thereafter inform global engagement, such as COP29, to drive policy changes that favor youth in agriculture,” Dr. Rogito notes.