On 3rd september, 2019 the African Green Revolution Forum, 2019 was held in Ghana at the Accra International Conference Center and was sponsored by 22 global leading groups in African agriculture who aimed on puttting farmers at the center of the continent's growing economies. The members of the AGRF partners include African development bank, African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa , African Union and other partners as well. the AGRF is the world's premier forum for African agriculture, pulling together stakeholder in the agricultural landscape to discuss and commit to programs, investment, and policies to achieve an inclusive and substainable agricultural transformation across the continent.
Firstly, the session i will like to elaborate was titled harnessing the digital and demographic dividends in agric-food systems for rural youth employment and enterpreneuship. Creating opportunities for the youth suggest that Africa has the youngest and the fastest- growing population in the world. Not only in home to a large proportion of young people, the report suggest that the continent will have even more youth by 2050 over 350 million according to the IFAD's report. There is an urgent need address widespread poverty and provide employment and livelihood opportunity for the large and growing number of young people who are poor and concentrate in rural areas with limitted employment options. This session was held to present and seek knowlage, innovatives ideas, good suggestion to and from delegates of mains ways of investing in the future of these young people to ensure substainable rural livelihoods.
Keynotes speaks include Mr. Francis Obirikorang, CEO, Agrocenta, Mrs.Reeta Roy, President and CEO, Mastercard Foundation, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, Deputy secretary General, EAC, Mr. Isaac SaSi, Co Founder, Sesi Technologies, Mr. Ade Freeman, Regional Program Leader, FAO, Dr. Meioluoch, Ethiopia Regional Director, Sasakwa Africa Association, Mr. abdulsalam Toheed, CEO, Farmignite, Ms. Sonita Tsssou
During the session. all the presentation and panel discurssion was all pointing to one thing , the need to engage the youth in agricultura activities which could leaverge a better substainable future for the young people . By harnessing their innovative potential, utilizing new technologies and techniques and advantages of new opportunities in emerging value chains, young agri-enterprenueurs could create thriving businness and tackle the challenge of feeding a growing population.
They began to enhance my knowledge on the main challenges and opportunities to empower youth to carry out and benefit from responsible agricultural investment by giving voice to those most concerned, young farmers,agri- enterpreneurs and workers and those who support them. From the panelist discurssion i got to know there were many actions that have already been undertaken in some countries to enable agricultural investment and youth empowerment. They also made mention of enhancing the policy, legal and regulatory framework needed for youth empowerment and lastly youth-led organisation that provide a broad range of service that include advocacy activities, access to land, markets and traning.