Buea, Cameroon, June 9, 2018 - Boosting employment opportunities for young women and men is a top priority in Africa. Youth under 24 years represent more than 60 per cent of the continent’s population.

Despite strong economic growth in many African countries, wage employment is limited. Agriculture and agribusiness continue to provide income and employment for over 60 per cent of Africa’s population. One of the collaborative efforts on the continent to create job opportunities for youth in agricultural value chains, is the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF). The trust fund is a funding vehicle for African governments and partners to commit un-earmarked resources for the pursuit of relevant national and regional priorities in Africa.

Promoting Decent Rural Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Agribusiness is a project of the NEPAD Agency, funded by ASTF. The objective of the project is to create decent employment opportunities for young women and men through the development of sustainable agricultural and agribusiness enterprises along strategic value chains. The project also receives technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and is currently being implemented initially in four countries – Benin, Cameroon, Malawi and Niger.

On 9 June, Mrs Estherine Lisinge-Fotabong, NEPAD Agency’s Director of Programmes was a special guest at the graduation ceremony of students at one of the Agriculture Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) centres, in Buea, South West, Cameroon.

While handing students their certificates during the event, Mrs Fotabong encouraged them, “To be good ambassadors of the ASTF project, by seeking opportunities to practise the knowledge and skills gained from the training.”

Mrs Fotabong also called for more private sector investments towards empowering youths.

So far, the ASTF project has produced the following results from the four implementing countries. Through this project, NEPAD Agency:

• Capacitated 19 personnel from Benin, Cameroon, Malawi and Niger on project execution, contract interpretation, technical reporting, finance reporting and procurement;
• 44 youths were equipped with skills to engage in agriculture value chain enterprises in Benin;
• 43 youths were capacitated with skills to engage in agriculture value chain enterprises in Malawi;
• 91 youths were equipped with skills to engage in agriculture value chain enterprises in Cameroon;
• Youths from Benin, Cameroon and Malawi have produced 20 business plans on agriculture value chains entrepreneurship for funding, and;
• Peer learning and knowledge exchange visits for 16 youths (from Benin, Cameroon, Malawi and Niger) on rural youth employment and entrepreneurship in the areas of agriculture and agribusiness was facilitated.

Source: NEPAD Agency