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The former Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, Adesina led an agricultural transformation in his country. Among Adesina’s revolutionary acts was the launch of a program to develop 750,000 young entrepreneurs—Nagropreneurs—in agriculture.
In his new position, Adesina will have the opportunity to promote similar reforms across Africa.
What will it take to achieve this?
Firstly, aspiring agri-preneurs need role models, and their stories need to be widely promoted. One such role model is 27-year-old Senai Wolderfael, featured in Forbes Magazine as one of the 30 most promising young entrepreneurs in Africa. He saw a gap in the market for exporting Ethiopian spice blends to Ethiopians living abroad and he capitalized on it. Today, he is a thriving agri-prenuer.
Secondly, it will take collaborations, investment, training, and mentoring to empower the youth with the skills and resources that will allow them to develop and own agribusinesses.
Take for instance, financing. It is crucial to the successful establishment of any business. Africans are stepping up to provide funds to young people who want to enter the agriculture sector. For example, the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme has set up a US$100 million annual fund for start-ups from young people, including in agriculture.
Thirdly, African agriculture has to be mechanized and modernized. Young people run away from agriculture because of the drudgery of its manual labor and outdated tools. Mechanizing agriculture will make farming far more attractive to the youth.
The first time I sat on a tractor, my opinion of farming changed. I was in Israel as a visiting scholar with the Agriculture Research Organization when I experienced the power of farm machinery, high technology and irrigation for the farmer and her output. From that moment on, I wanted to be a farmer.
Today’s youth can also be inspired to transform their lives and the future of their countries. To do so, they need leaders at the highest levels of government, civil society and business to invest time, money and resources in agriculture and in youth. Our leaders must take a chance on the youth and help rebrand what it means to be a millennial farmer, not only through words, but more so through deeds.
Engaging our younger generation in agriculture will do more than produce food. It will create jobs, wealth, and bring the much needed agricultural makeover to Africa.
By Esther Ngumbi
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