Dr Betty Annan, the Country Director, AGRA Ghana, has called for greater trust and investment in young people to secure the future of agriculture and food systems in Ghana and across Africa.
She said sustainable agricultural transformation on the continent would depend heavily on the active participation, innovation and leadership of young people in the sector.
She was speaking at a National Youth Dialogue, on the Domestication of the Africa Agribusiness Young Strategy (AAYS) and the Youth in Agrifood Systems Performance Index (YAPI) in Ghana, titled, “Bridging Policy to Practice for Youth Participation in Regional and Continental Markets.”
Dr. Annan urged policymakers, development partners and private sector players to create opportunities that would enable young agripreneurs to thrive.
“Let us count on the youth to give us a sustainable future in agriculture and our food system,” she added.
She said the AGRA had, over the past two decades, remained a key pillar in agricultural transformation across Africa and Ghana by supporting policies, strengthening institutions and collaborating with governments, research bodies and agribusinesses to build a resilient agricultural economy.
Dr. Annan explained that the AGRA’s current partnership with the Mastercard Foundation had sharpened its focus on youth-centered agriculture and agribusiness development aimed at accelerating enterprise growth among young Ghanaians.
She said the organisation continued to roll out several continental support initiatives including AFF, YEGRO, GoGetta, VALUEHER and Generation Africa to help young agribusinesses gain access to mentorship, training and grant opportunities.
The Country Director noted that Africa’s shared ambition for market integration and cross-border trade opportunities made the AAYS critical to the continent’s agricultural future.
She explained that the strategy, developed under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme declaration, sought to guide African countries in developing harmonised youth-centered agricultural policies to promote regional market integration and productivity growth.
She said the ongoing dialogue was expected to help shape national youth policies and produce commitments that would drive integrated regional and continental agricultural markets.
Dr Annan further encouraged young agripreneurs to actively participate in policy conversations by sharing their experiences, challenges and success stories, stressing that such engagements were necessary to develop practical and inclusive solutions for the sector.
The Country Director expressed optimism that the dialogue would help chart a clear path towards empowering young people to transform agriculture and ensure long-term food security and economic growth across the continent.
Mr. Evans Selorm Habadah, the Acting Chief Director, Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to positioning young people at the centre of Africa’s agrifood transformation through entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills development.
He said the domestication of the new youth-focused agricultural initiative demonstrated a bold commitment to empowering young people to lead and create value across the agrifood system.
Mr. Habadah said the initiative reflected a shared conviction that Africa’s agricultural potential could only be fully realised when young people were empowered to innovate, lead, and actively participate in value creation within the agrifood sector.
The Acting Chief Director commended AGRA for its continued partnership with the Ministry, especially during the formative years of the Ministry’s establishment.
“At a time when the Ministry was new with its mandate, AGRA demonstrated confidence in our vision by working closely with us to advance youth development priorities,” he added.
He stressed that the Ministry continued to prioritise initiatives that promoted entrepreneurship and practical skills development among the youth, while recognising agriculture and agribusiness as major drivers of job creation and economic resilience.
Mr. Habadah assured of the Ministry’s commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the initiative and ensuring the effective utilisation of the African Youth in Agrifood Systems platform and related data tools to guide evidence-based policymaking.