Policymakers and researchers declare youth unemployment a “time bomb”

Policymakers and researchers in Africa have declared the rising youth unemployment in the continent a “time bomb” that should be quickly “defused” using appropriate policies and initiatives before it “detonates” and wreaks havoc on the continent.

They also worry over the continent’s rising food import bill which is estimated at $35 billion annually. This amount, they say, if invested in agriculture could generate jobs and take some youths out of the labor market.

“The youth problem is indeed a ‘time bomb’ but also an opportunity if we can quickly harness the energy in this population and channel it to constructive use,” said Dr Fina Opio, Executive Director, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA).

She chaired a special session titled, “Promoting Youth Engagement in Agribusiness: the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Agripreneur Model,” at the event marking the 15^th anniversary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in South Africa.

Accounting for about 70 percent of the African population, the youth comprising young men and women have the most education, enthusiasm, and strength, yet very limited opportunities to apply such talents within communities.

However, the recent experience by the IITA Youth in Agribusiness reveals that young individuals between 21 and 27 years old 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, the urban and rural youth can quickly be directed towards market-oriented agriculture, agribusiness, and agro-services provision, with a huge impact upon the larger farming community.

Dr Opio backed the initiative by IITA and called on donors and policymakers to support it.

“I 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,” she added.

The special session among others, recommended the following: Mainstreaming the youth unemployment challenge at the national and even on regional and continental levels; Review and change of curriculums on agriculture in schools to encourage youth to go into the business of agriculture and thereby create agricultural entrepreneurs.

In addition, the business orientation has to be emphasized and incorporated in the new curriculum; Provision of access for youths to resources (funds, innovations, etc.) and collective assets such as machinery, land and productive assets.

The position of the special session was reechoed by Dr Kanayo Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) during his keynote talk at the highlight of the celebration.

According to Dr Nwanze, if we wait further and do nothing, the ‘time bomb’ will explode.

The IFAD president called on African governments to develop policies that would encourage inclusive growth, giving greater attention to marginalized groups including youth and women, development of rural infrastructure, and provision of social services in the rural areas to curb rural-urban migration.

He said that Africa’s food import bill of $35 billion was a source of concern because the continent’s dependence on food imports was hurting the creation of local jobs which the youth would have benefited from.

The Celebrating FARA event was attended by over 500 policymakers, researchers, and the donor community both from within and outside of Africa.

Dr Alfred Dixon, Head of the Partnership Coordination Office at IITA and Project Leader of the Cassava Weed Management Project, said the event reechoed the magnitude of the youth problem among policymakers, technocrats, development investors, and other stakeholders in Africa. 

African countries back IITA Youth Agripreneur initiative to end unemployment

About 20 African countries have thrown their weight behind the IITA Youth Agripreneur (IYA) initiative – a pilot scheme that is engaging youths in agriculture with clear signals of ending youth unemployment in the continent.

The initiative has also been endorsed by the IITA Board of Trustees, according to Dr Namanga Ngongi, IITA Board member.

IYA changes the mindset of young people towards agriculture and equips them with various opportunities in the production and marketing of agricultural products, cutting across value chains such as cassava, banana/plantain, soybean, maize, vegetables, livestock, and fish production.

The countries supported the IYA initiative in a communiqué at the end of a conceptualization workshop on Engagement of Youth Entrepreneurship for Agricultural Transformation in Africa that was held at IITA in Ibadan, Nigeria.

About 200 participants reviewed the current unemployment situation in the continent, and noted that youth unemployment and underemployment are high, with over 70% of the population between 15 and 24 years in many countries under-/unemployed, if not outright unemployed.

The countries noted that the present situation threatens not only food security but also the national security of all African countries, and may compromise the attainment of the targets set under the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

They recognized that agriculture can drive development and has the potential to create millions of decent jobs for Africa’s male and female youth in the provision of products and services such as seed and input supply, crop aggregation and marketing, postharvest handling, processing and storage, and other value-addition activities.

The youth population in Africa could also play a pivotal role in the dissemination of improved technologies and innovations to farmers which have the capacity of closing yield gaps and enhancing productivity in the continent.

The youth can also advance agribusiness development in Africa with adequate support services, the countries with development partners proposed a multinational youth-in-agriculture/agribusiness program drawing on the IITA Youth Agripreneur model and other proven models that would focus on youth empowerment in agribusinesses and related enterprises across Africa.

The proposal has, in principle, been endorsed by donors, led by the African Development Bank.

The countries commended the African Development Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa for supporting agricultural development initiatives in Africa, and IITA for hosting the conception workshop.