Engaging youths in agricultural entrepreneurship is crucial in alleviating the increasingly growing youth unemployment and boosting rural transformation. This is prompting most countries and national and international development partners to prioritize agricultural entrepreneurship as a means of economic growth.
With this in mind, IITA has initiated a program targeting young agripreneurs in a bid to develop entrepreneurship in agri-business through imparting skills and to create a conducive environment allowing for youths (both girls and boys) to own profitable agri-businesses, using an ad hoc incubation model. The program aims to create—along with priority agricultural value chains—business opportunities and decent employment for young girls and boys.
Through this initiative, IITA is involved in various projects to promote youth entrepreneurship, such as the “Projet d’entreprenariat des jeunes en agriculture et agro-business” [Project for Youths’ Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Agri-business] (PEJAB project), which aims to promote the entrepreneurship development among young men and women in agricultural and agri-food value chains, by way of strengthening youths’ skills and supporting the said youths in setting up and managing viable businesses, and making it easier for them to access finance.
In the framework of this DR Congo government-led project, IITA supported over 60 youths over three months through training in cross-cutting modules, mentoring and coaching, experience-sharing and learning visits, and market access facilitation.
Such action is driven by IITA’s mission, which partly involves engaging youths in agribusiness through its youth entrepreneurship development program, which includes technical and managerial training in entrepreneurship.
After incubation, IITA, in collaboration with PEJAB, held a workshop to present and finalize the business plans of young entrepreneurs in the presence of stakeholders involved in promoting youth, bankers, and members of the provincial government.
During the workshop, over 20 youths presented their respective bankable business plans to the attending officials, thereby applying for financial support.
Contributed by Isabelle Buhoro
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