Thirteen new World Food Forum (WFF) National Youth Chapters in Africa have joined the growing network of young leaders working to transform agrifood systems across the continent. They are in: Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal and Togo.
These new chapters bring the total number of National Youth Chapters in Africa to 33.
Speaking at the launch during the Global Youth Forum of the World Food Forum, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel emphasized the importance of sustained investment in youth leadership.
“The real measure of success will be our ability to sustain this momentum, scale investment, and ensure that young people are not just beneficiaries of change, but architects of Africa’s agrifood systems transformation,” he said.
Creating opportunities for youth leadership
The National Youth Chapters provide platforms for young people to connect, share knowledge, build partnerships and contribute to agrifood systems transformation at national and regional levels.
With more than 60 percent of Africa’s population under the age of 25, expanding opportunities for young people to participate in decision-making, innovation and entrepreneurship is critical to the continent’s future.
FAO is strengthening youth engagement across Africa through capacity-building initiatives, partnerships and opportunities for young agripreneurs to contribute to policy discussions.
Young agribusiness entrepreneurs and advocates from across Africa are participating at the World Food Forum in Rome this week. Youth leadership will also feature prominently at the upcoming Africa Science & Innovation Forum taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 27 to 29 October.
Empowering Africa’s youth was also the focus of a session at the World Food Forum today titled Leading from the Front: Africa’s Youth Driving Agrifood Systems Transformation, featuring FAO’s Abebe Haile-Gabriel and Lesotho’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Selibe Mochoboroane. The session focused on expanding opportunities for young Africans to lead innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation across agrifood systems. Haile-Gabriel emphasized the importance of investing in young people’s skills, improving access to finance and technology, and ensuring young people have a meaningful role in shaping policies and investments.
The 13 new chapters join existing chapters in Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.