{"id":13202,"date":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/policymakers-and-researchers-declare-youth-unemployment-a-time-bomb\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","slug":"policymakers-and-researchers-declare-youth-unemployment-a-time-bomb","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/policymakers-and-researchers-declare-youth-unemployment-a-time-bomb\/","title":{"rendered":"Policymakers and researchers declare youth unemployment a time bomb"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cross<\/a>
Cross section of participants during the IITA organized special session on youth in agriculture during the Celebrating event in Johannesburg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nPolicymakers and researchers in Africa have declared the rising youth unemployment iin the continent a potential \u201ctime bomb\u201d that should be quickly \u201cdefused\u201d using appropriate policies and initiatives before it \u201cdetonates\u201d and wreaks havoc on the continent. They also worry over the continent\u2019s rising food import bill which is estimated to be $35 billion annually; an amount, which, if invested in agriculture, could generate jobs and take some youth out of the labor market.\n\n\u201cThe youth problem is indeed a \u2018time bomb\u2019 but also an opportunity if we can harness the energy in this population and channel it to constructive use,\u201d said Dr Fina Opio, Executive Director, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), who chaired a special session titled, \u201cPromoting Youth Engagement in Agribusiness: the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Agripreneur Model,\u201d at the event marking the 15th anniversary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in South Africa.\n\nAccounting for about 70 percent of the African population, young men and women have the most education, enthusiasm, and strength, yet very limited opportunities to apply their talents within communities.\n\nHowever, the recent experience of the IITA Youth in Agribusiness reveals that young individuals between 21 and 27 years of age with different backgrounds and academic disciplines (ranging from art, information technology, and engineering to the biological sciences and agriculture) can take on the challenge of self-development with the right environment and encouragement. The initiative, which began in 2012, under the leadership of Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General, has proven that given the proper opportunities and incentives, urban and rural youth can be directed towards market-oriented agriculture, agribusiness, and agro-services provision, with a huge significant impact upon the larger farming community.\n\nDr Opio backed the initiative by IITA and called on donors and policymakers to support it. \u201cI was in Ibadan and was very impressed with the achievements of these young men and women. This is the way we should go and IITA has shown the way,\u201d she added.\n\nThe special session which had other organizations such as the Conseil ouest et centre africain pour la recherche et le d\u00e9veloppement agricoles \/ West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF\/WECARD), and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) among others, recommended the following:\n