AGRA Board Chair H.E Hailemariam Dessalegn, Mastercard Foundation CEO Reeta Roy, receive a copy of the Kigali Declaration on Food Systems, Policy and Climate Action from differently abled youth from Malawi and Mozambique. Photo/courtesy.
Youth from across Africa have committed to lead the transformation of the food systems in the continent ahead of the COP29 slotted for November in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The declaration made in Kigali urges global stakeholders to elevate the voices of Africa’s youth, address the urgent issues of climate change and youth employment, and accelerate strategies for youth access to opportunities in the agriculture and food systems sectors. Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) one of the event’s funders highlighted the magnitude of youth involvement.
“This year we had over 1000 youths who presented new ideas every day. Forty percent of the young people were women, and there was also a good representation of indigenous and differently-abled individuals,” she said.
“When the food system works, the world works, and for that reason, we need 80% of this forum to be youths.”
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The conveners argue that despite the determination and innovation demonstrated by African youth, significant barriers remain in accessing resources such as land, capital, and agricultural inputs.
Regulatory hurdles, climate change impacts, and gender inequality exacerbate these challenges, limiting the potential of the agricultural sector to absorb the continent’s growing youth population.
Agriculture, which employs 50% of Africa’s workforce, offers substantial potential for youth employment, but over 25% of youths entering the job market lack basic literacy skills, limiting their ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Africa currently creates only 3 million new jobs annually, while 10 million young people enter the labor market each year.
The Kigali Youth Declaration outlines a roadmap to address these challenges by leveraging the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial mindset of African youth.
It aims to harness the growing demand for sustainable food production, the rapid pace of technological advancements, and the potential for government support to drive positive change in Africa’s food systems.
