Women & Youth Integration
Africa’s demographic landscape is characterized by a predominantly youthful population, with a median age of just 19 years. This demographic profile underscores the urgent need to create employment opportunities for the youth. Agriculture, being a fundamental driver of most African economies, presents a significant avenue for youth employment. To harness this potential, it is imperative to present attractive agribusiness prospects that inspire young people to actively participate in agriculture. This effort must be coupled with comprehensive capacity-building initiatives aimed at equipping them with essential farming skills and instilling a business and entrepreneurial mindset to view farming as a viable business venture.
In parallel, women play a pivotal role in African agriculture, contributing substantially to the labor force despite having limited access to critical factors of production. By adopting a holistic value chain approach, opportunities can be identified within the agricultural value chain that do not necessarily require ownership of production assets. Empowering both women and youth hinges on facilitating access to financial resources, recognizing that these demographic groups often lack the means to invest in agriculture. Our initiatives will build upon our ongoing youth empowerment programs, expanding their scope to encompass women.
Through our comprehensive value chain approach, we commit to conducting continual assessments, including value chain and gender analyses. These assessments will help identify and understand the specific barriers that hinder youth and women from active participation and employment within the value chains. Subsequently, we will collaborate closely with partners, such as financial service providers, to design and implement tailored solutions that align with the unique needs of youth and women, as well as the specific value chains they operate within.
It is important to emphasize that the promotion of youth and women’s employment along the agricultural value chain is a cross-cutting theme that will permeate all our strategic objectives. We recognize that by unlocking the potential of these demographics and addressing the challenges they face, we can foster inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth while simultaneously advancing gender equality and youth empowerment across Africa.
