AUC, AGRA Host African Agribusiness Youth Strategy Dialogue | Spiked.co.zw

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The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), will be hosting the Agribusiness Youth Strategy (AAYS) Regional Dialogues on Harmonization, Domestication, and Implementation for the Southern Africa Region in Lilongwe, Malawi from 1 to 2 August 2024.

Speaking to this publication ahead of the workshop in Lusaka, Zambia, David Adama, the AGRA Senior Specialist, Continental and Regional Engagements underscored the need to increase awareness and uptake of the African Agribusiness Youth Strategy (AAYS) through the development, harmonization, domestication, and implementation of the strategy in the Southern African Region.

“The objective of the strategy is to create an enabling environment for youth entrepreneurship and youth employment in agribusiness within the continent. It serves as a continental framework that should be used at regional, national, and subnational levels to develop context-specific Youth Agribusiness strategies that take into account all key elements. It is also expected to serve AU Member States as a reference tool that can be used to integrate Youth Agribusiness into National Agriculture Investment Plans, Youth Employment Strategies, Entrepreneurship Development Plans, and more,” Adama said.

The African Continent has the highest percentage of youth in the world, with over 750 million between the age of 15-35 years. For Africa to reap this demographic dividend, policies, and strategies targeting a continental economic transformation need to place youth at the center. Unemployment and underemployment within this group are among the most important challenges facing a continent where about 60% of jobs are found in the agricultural sector. The youth unemployment rate in Southern Africa is one of the highest with South Africa having an unemployment rate of 64.2%, Eswatini at 50.9%, Botswana, at 41.2%, Lesotho at 37.4%, Zambia at 26.1%, Angola at 18.5% (CIA, 2024).

“Given the increasing population, urbanization, incomes, and rising food demand, engaging youth in agribusiness is evidently an essential strategy to create employment and increase wealth for citizens in Africa.

“It is in recognition of this that the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods expresses firm commitment towards attaining an agricultural revolution in Africa, especially through creating job opportunities for at least 30% of the youth in agricultural value chains and calls for facilitating preferential entry and participation for women and youth in gainful and attractive agri-business opportunities. As part of the process to increase youth jobs in agribusiness and achieve the Malabo targets, the African Union Commission through the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, (AUC-DARBE) developed and launched the African Agribusiness Youth Strategy (AAYS) in 2022,” said Haile Abebe, the Youth Employment and Partnerships Officer of the Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate of the AUC.

The workshop also seeks to take stock of ongoing initiatives to develop or revise national youth in agriculture frameworks, ensuring their effective alignment with the AAYS. It will also gather input for the development of the Youth Agribusiness Performance Index (YAPI), which will serve as a tool to measure and track the progress and impact of youth engagement in agribusiness in the 5th CAADP BR and the Post-Malabo CAADP agenda.

In addition, it will identify challenges and opportunities in the domestication and implementation processes of the youth in agribusiness-related continental frameworks at the regional and national levels; as well as identify areas of collaboration and support needed to enable countries to domesticate and implement youth-focused programs that support youth in agribusiness.

Speaking to Spiked Online Media, Rukudzo Ashley Kavumbura, the founder of Ash-Gric, a registered Zimbabwean, youth-led initiative that operates as an agribusiness, said such initiatives promote sustainable and resilient food and agriculture systems.

“Ash-Gric stands as a beacon of innovation and sustainability in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. Through its diverse range of products, consultancy services, and community empowerment initiatives, Ash-Gric not only enhances food security and agricultural productivity but also fosters a culture of sustainability and resilience. Ash-Gric continues to make significant strides in promoting inclusive and sustainable agricultural practices, thereby contributing to the broader goals of climate resilience and youth empowerment. The dialogue in Malawi is very critical in promoting youth in agri-business,” Kavumbura said.

Rukudzo holds a degree in Agricultural Economics and Development Studies and is actively involved in various youth-led organizations/initiatives addressing climate change, youth empowerment, and agricultural systems.