Leading from the Front: Africa's Youth Driving Agrifood Systems Transformation

Across Africa, there is a place where people come together. A place to listen, to share, to imagine what comes next. Under the baobab tree. For generations, communities have gathered here to exchange knowledge and experience. Knowledge moves from one generation to the next, but it also moves in the other direction. New ideas meet experience. Because beneath the tree, we do more than share stories. We talk about the challenges we share, our land, our food, our communities, and the opportunities ahead. We bring new ideas. We carry knowledge built over generations. We experiment, we learn, and together we find new ways forward. When we listen to one another, ideas become partnerships, partnerships become action, and action creates opportunities for farmers, for communities, for young people. Because transformation also needs a seat at the table, a space to listen, to question, to build partnerships, and to make decisions together. This is leadership, not waiting for the future, but helping shape it with experience, with new ideas, and with everyone moving forward together. Because the conversation does not end. It continues from one generation to the next, from one idea to another, from dialogue to action. Together, we shape what comes next. Welcome under the baobab tree.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening to all of you who are joining us from every single corner of our beautiful continent and from around the world. A very warm welcome to the very first main stage event of the World Food Forum 2026. I am Jeanetta Carlucci from Accra, Ghana, the gateway to Africa, and I am happy to be moderating this session together with my co-host.

Thank you very much, Jeanetta. It's a pleasure for me to be here.

Thank you very much, Jeanetta. I'm also very happy to co-moderate this session with you. Welcome to you all. My name is Florentine Alga and I come from Benin, the land of wonders. We're delighted to welcome you in this room, as well as online, under the tree of palavers, the baobab.

Today's session runs in English and French with simultaneous translation. If you are in this room, please take a headset and select the channel with the language that you prefer.

Don't worry, this session will be simultaneously interpreted into French and English. If you're in the room, please take a headset and select the French channel, and you can attend the session in the language of your choice.

Reminds us it is the young trees that hold the future of the forest. With Africa being home to the fastest growing population and the youngest population, this session focuses on the continent's greatest asset, its young men and women.

In the next 90 minutes, we will explore the institutional mechanisms that embed young people as partners and co-architects in decision making, policy development, and implementation, and on the other hand, the strategic partnership and sustained investments needed to unlock the African youth dividend for agri-food system transformation.

Today, our baobab shade stretches from the Sheikh Zayed Centre here at FAO headquarters to the 54 countries of the continent and to every screen where you are watching. We are all under the baobab tree.

And for this session, I don't think that we could have a better lineup of speakers. As you will see, we have a star-studded group of young and young at heart, captains of industry, thought leaders, distinguished policy and development leaders. And of course, we have all of you here in this room and all of you joining us online, each of you bringing your own experiences, ideas, and perspective to this session. So, I'm sure that this session will be one for the books and it will also stay with us after we leave this room.

So, let's get this started. To kick us off with the warmest round of applause, please help me welcome a true champion for the youth, Dr. Abebe Haile Gabriel, the FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Africa.

Distinguished invited guests, the young people of Africa, greetings to you. Good morning. Bonjour. It's a great pleasure to be with you today at this very important event. I think I won't be wrong if I entertain the idea that nowhere is youth leadership more important than in Africa. As you know, Africa is the world's youngest continent. With more than 60% of our population under the age of 25, we often describe this demographic reality as a challenge. But I believe we should see it as Africa's greatest strategic asset. The future of agri-food systems will be determined by creativity, talent, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit of the young women and men who produce, process, trade, and innovate across the entire food system. This is why youth action becomes indispensable. With young people empowered, equipped, and trusted to lead, we can transform many of today's challenges into opportunities. including addressing the dual imperative, namely feeding a growing population on the one hand, and creating productive and dignified opportunities for a growing generation of young people on the other hand. And this is precisely where agri-food systems transformation becomes so important. For too long, agriculture has sometimes being presented to young people as a sector of last resort. We must change that narrative. Agri-food systems should be one of Africa's greatest spaces for opportunity, for innovation, for entrepreneurship, and for prosperity. Agriculture is increasingly knowledge-intensive, technology-driven, and innovation-led sector. New technologies and approaches are changing how food is produced, processed, transported, marketed, and consumed. And Africa's young people should not simply be users of these technologies. They should be among those creating them, adapting them, and scaling them. We need systems that are productive, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. and we need young people at the center of designing and building these systems. To make this possible, I would highlight three imperatives. The first is about investing in knowledge, skills, and innovation. Young people need access to quality education, technical and vocational training, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. We need stronger connections between education, research, and the real economy. This means that we must equip young people to create new businesses, develop new technologies, and build new agri-foods enterprises. The second is about building business models that work for young people. A young person can have brilliant ideas, the skills, and the ambitions. But without access to finance, land, technology, markets, infrastructure, mentorship, and networks, that potential may never become a viable enterprise. In other words, we should not simply tell young people, go into agriculture. We therefore need to create profitable, technology-enabled, and market-oriented opportunities from agritech and digital services to agro-processing, logistics, climate-smart enterprises, and green jobs. The third is about creating an enabling environment and give young people a seat at the right table. Young people also need agency. They need a voice in the policies, investments, and programs that will shape the future of agrifood systems. I mean genuine participation in shaping decisions and driving action, not simply an invitation for them to listen and decision after decisions have been made. Because those who will live with the consequences of today's decisions should have a meaningful role in making them. This is why in the Africa region, FAO is working with governments regional institutions, partners and youth organizations to deepen our engagement with young people and in the process, building continuous engagement, partnership and momentum. We saw this around the 34th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa that was held in Mauritania this year, including the youth focused engagements associated with the World Food Forum Africa. chapter. Those of you who have taken part in those engagements would testify that young people were not on the sidelines. They were at the center of the conversations. They brought their ideas, experiences, and aspirations into discussions on innovation, employment, investment, and the future of Africa's agrifood systems. And this work continues. Later this week, In about 10 days time from now, from 27th to 29th of October, we will convene the Africa Forum on Science and Innovation for Agri-Food Systems in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. And once again, young innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and change makers will have an important role to play. Because if we are serious about science and innovation, We must harness the creativity and ingenuity of Africa's young people. Again, our goal should not simply be more youth participation. It should be more youth leadership. We want to measure success by how many of them are creating businesses, developing technologies, generating jobs, leading research, influencing policy, managing investments, and transforming communities. because this is how we can demonstrate leading from the front. I am particularly encouraged by the launch of the 13 additional national youth chapters in Africa yesterday, bringing the total number to 63 chapters. This is meaningful because it is about a new generation of interconnected young women and men who can learn from one another, inspire one another, build partnerships across borders, and collectively drive change. I meet many of you in high-level code dialogues and international events across Africa. And I must tell you, I feel genuinely encouraged when someone introduces themselves and says, I am a member of the World Food Forum national chapter in particular country. These are germinating seeds of a powerful movement of young Africans contributing to the transformation of our agri-food systems. So keep doing the great work, connecting, innovating, also challenging us, telling us what works and what does not. We need connected ecosystems of young people who amplify one another's ideas, capabilities and impact, and know that FAO will continue to collaborate with you. I thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Jota, baby, for your leadership and unwavering support. Your commitment to putting young people at the heart of Africa's agri-food system sets the tone for our conversation today and for the region. Thank you again.

And now, yes, thank you. Another round of applause. Yes. And now we'll be turning to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, where we will be joined by the honorable CDB, Mocho Borani, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition. In Lesotho, young people are not just participating. They are leading in agri-food systems. So, we can't wait to hear from you on what it would take to make that leadership a permanent part of how we make decisions. Welcome, honorable minister.

Moderators, allow me to pay my respect to honorable ministers, assistant director general, and FOO regional representative for Africa, distinguished government representatives, development partners, colleagues, and most importantly, the young leaders from across Africa. Good morning. And greetings to everyone joining us from around the world. It is my pleasure to join you at this important gathering leading from the front, Africa's youth, driving Agri-food systems transformation. Let me begin with a simple message. Africa's agri-food systems transformation agenda is a youth agenda. There is no separating the two, trying to divorce The two would be the biggest mistake of our time that we will live to regret in future. From the onset, allow me to state a reality that we cannot shy away from. Africa is the world's youngest continent, with a median age of just 19 years. and approximately 60% of its population under 25. Is this not a good sign for a continent to be gifted with able-bodied population that is capable of providing the needed manpower and human resource? By 2050, its youth population is projected to reach 830 million. These figures tell us something fundamental. Africa's future will be shaped by the opportunities that we create for our young people today. A wise man says, I quote, make a hay while the sun shines. End of quote. You know as well as I do that it takes one generation to build the road for the next generation to travel on. Or if you like, you can say, I quote, one generation plants the trees and another gets the shade. End of quote. On the downside, there is disturbing situation where too many young Africans continue to face barriers to decent employment, productive resources, and meaningful participation in decisions that affect their lives. We can talk about climate change, food security, to name but a few. In Lesotho, unemployment challenge is a top priority and a matter of urgency. In July 2025, our government made a clarion call and declared a state of emergency in response to a high youth unemployment and job losses. Behind this challenge are young people with ambitions, talents, and ideas whose potential we cannot afford to leave untapped. Program director, with your indulgence, I wish to publicly emphasize that agriculture is part of our answer. not as a last resort, but as a driver of jobs, food security, enterprise, and inclusive growth. Young people should never have to choose between a modern, prosperous future and a future in agriculture. Our task is to make sure that they can have both As the leaders, we have a social contract with citizens that we must fulfill. It is an obligation on our part to ensure that we provide food security to our people and sustainable developments with tangible results. This is what generational renewal means. It is not simply replacing older farmers with younger ones. It is renewing the skills, knowledge, enterprise and leadership our agri-food system needs to thrive. The world is not static, but highly dynamic. Therefore, We must also evolve with the changes that come with developments and innovations. Whoever thought people could use drones irrigation, that was never dreamed of in the age of steam engine. It means improving young people's access to land, finance, technology, training, and markets, with particular attention to young women and rural youth above all. It means recognizing that young people are not merely next generation of farmers and entrepreneurs. They are already leading innovating and building business today. At this juncture, allow me to talk about what we do as a country. In Lesotho, we are turning this commitment into a concrete action. Through the FOO Hassan project, we are strengthening young entrepreneur skills in business growth, systems thinking, and inclusive governance. Through SADP2, supported by the World Bank, the Government of Japan, and IFAD, we are extending support across 10 districts and equipping young grantees with mentorship to build commercially viable farming businesses. Our youth mentorship program will support 1,000 young Basotho farmers with mentorship, agricultural inputs, and technical training. We have also procured 200 tractors complemented by skills training to expand agricultural opportunities and help address youth unemployment. The good news is that our young people are responding with innovation. Recently, 22 young innovators presented solutions in fish feed production, climate-smart farming, agro-processing, digital market access, and post-harvest loss reduction. These are practical responses to the challenges our farmers face, from droughts to increasingly unpredictable rainfall. Let me share one inspiring example. Hoboto from Maputo in Leribe began growing vegetables after high school with just 300 Maluti. Today, he runs Hoboto Agri Solutions, produces heirloom seedlings and champions indigenous farming practices that protect our soil and biodiversity. Having trained in Beijing and Cape Town, he now mentors other young people. His journey has not been easy. As a first generation farmer, he faced doubt and persistent barriers in securing land. But he persevered and eventually secured 9.1 hectares under a 30-year lease. He actually lived the adage that I quote, "Perseverance is the matter of success," end of quote. His story reminds us that young people do not lack ambition or ideas. They need an enabling environment in which their determination can translate into opportunity. As we say in Sesotho, "Muhale also am I relying. A hero rises from the dust. Robert shows what becomes possible when young people have the opportunity to lead, innovate, and grow. Our responsibility is to is to ensure that such opportunities are available to many more. This brings me to the importance of the platforms such as the World Food Forum National Youth Chapters. These chapters connect young people across the sectors and communities, strengthen their collective voice, and create pathways for collaboration with governments, development partners, and the private sector. They help transform isolated initiatives into coordinated action, linking grassroots priorities with the institutions and the decision makers that can help turn ideas into results. We are seeing this potential in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, where more than 60 young people from diverse agri-food sector sectors came together around a shared vision for establishing the WFF Lesotho Youth Chapter. This recognized that fragmented initiatives, limited district level representation, and weak national coordination can constrain the impact of young people's work. By strengthening connections and mobilizing grassroots initiatives across Lesotho's diverse agro-ecological zones, we can turn local priorities into locally-led solutions that contribute to our national development ambitions. This is what meaningful youth engagement looks like: moving from fragmented efforts to collective action, moving from consultation to contribution, and from promising ideas to practical results. But organizing young people is not only the beginning. We must embed their participation in our institutions, national strategies, and long-term investment, and give them the technical support, partnerships, and resources they need to deliver lasting change. Distinguished colleagues, generational renewal requires collaboration across generations, sectors, and institutions. No single ministry or organization can achieve this alone. And young people should not be expected to transform agri-food systems without the support they need. We must offer young people more than a seat at table. We must give them a meaningful role in shaping decisions that affect their future and the opportunity to lead action that follows. Let us leave this gathering with strong connections, clearer commitments, and shared determination to turn Africa's youth potential into tangible opportunities and lasting impact. Investing in young people is not simply an investment in the next generation. It is an investment in the transformation we need today and in Africa's food security, prosperity, resilience tomorrow. Before I retire my seat, I wish to thank FAO and the World Food Forum for providing this important platform, and I thank young leaders here for the work they are already doing in shaping Africa's agri future. I wish you fruitful discussions, meaningful partnerships, and above all, action that makes difference. I thank you.

Thank you, thank you, Honourable Minister. Your sentiment on how we can move from participation to leadership is at the heart of our conversation today. Thank you for reminding us that consultation is important, but consultation alone does not transform systems. Leadership does. Thank you again.

And speaking of leadership, young men and women across Africa are already using their innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit to find new solutions to some of the long-standing challenges facing our agri-food systems. But this impact becomes even more powerful when individual initiatives begin to connect with each other. And when local action is supported by institutions, policies, and partnerships.

In Twi, the language of Akan people of Ghana, there is a saying, "One head does not hold counsel." And that is precisely why we have brought together this distinguished panel today.

To guide us through this important discussion and to help us bring these different voices together, I am delighted to invite Roger Abbe, the World Food Forum National Youth Chapter lead for Cote d'Ivoire to moderate the panel. Ladies and gentlemen, please, a huge round of applause and welcome me in joining Roger on stage.

Thank you, Jeanetta and Florian. And good morning, everyone. As introduced, my name is Roger Abe, and I have the incredible honor of serving as the World Food Forum National Chapter Lead for Cote d'Ivoire, the land of Ivory. Today, I also have the incredible honor of moderating this important conversation. So let me start with a question. If we took young people out of Africa's agri-food system today, what we will lose? Will we lose the innovation happening on farms, the businesses creating jobs, the ideas shaping climate-smart agriculture, or the voices challenging policies that are no longer fit for purpose? This panel session is titled Eye on Impact. youth contribution to Africa's agri-food system transformation and the emphasis is on impact. So without further ado, please join me in welcoming our panelists to the stage. Mr. Orlando Sosa, FAO representative and in Ethiopia. Ms. Alberta Nana Akyaa Ocoso, National Youth Chapter Lead for Ghana. Dr. Delfina Lashwayo, UN Policy Board Member, and Dr. Hillary M. Maseke, Senior Presidential Advisor on Agribusiness and Value-Added Development. Ladies and gentlemen, let's give them a big round of applause. Now that they're all here, let's get straight into it. Mr. Orlando, let me start with you. From your work with FAO in Ethiopia, we know that creating opportunities for young people is important. But what really matters is what those opportunities make possible. So how are youth-led initiatives and youth engagement translating into concrete results at country level? And how can FAO better support young people to contribute to agri-food system transformation? Mr. Orlando, you have the floor.

I assume this--okay, great. Before I get into those questions, I want to set the context for the--as the Director General refers to most of the older folks in the room as a--what is it? We're gently young or something like that? Young at heart, thank you so much. So we're young at heart, even, you know, when you reach my age, you forget these terms, right? So I recall at some point, I mean, I think we all resonate with this. We were once young as well. So I want to start with a little bit of personal reflection of my career. I started when I was 21 years old. And when I look back at that journey that has brought me to where I am today, I can tell you that I certainly didn't get here on my own. had people who believed in me, mentors who saw potential in me. They challenged me, they gave me responsibilities, they allowed me to try new things, to experiment, and yes, occasionally to get a few things wrong. And when things got difficult, I had those people helping me along. They didn't abandon me. So most importantly, they gave me the space to innovate. And I think, and at FAO when I joined, I believe that is one of the key defining elements I feel this organization brings, that they support you in pursuing those innovations. So I've been quite, I would say, not so much lucky, but I created that with the people around me, created the opportunities. So when I first met the Ethiopia World Food Forum National Chapter, I saw something very familiar in them. I saw the same ambition, the same enthusiasm, the same determination to do things differently that I remember when I was in their shoes. There was, I can see tremendous potential in this initiative, but potential alone is not enough. Someone has to recognize it, someone has to believe in it. And someone has to be prepared to invest in it. And that is what I felt others did for me. And I felt it was my conviction to do the same for them. So I met them in the FAO country office, a group of young men and women. And I immediately said, let's kick start this initiative. Let me put some money into the group to catalyze some of their ambitions and ideas. So we allocated from the technical cooperation program a small amount of money to get them to pursue those ideas and activities. And I believe that has opened quite a number of doors for them. To participate in FAO-led national meetings and forums, I ask my staff, the technical staff of the country office, whatever meeting you have or event, that is occurring at the national level, ensure that they are represented. Let them be at the table. Let them have a voice. Let them speak. So I'm very happy for that. But to understand how decisions are made, how to engage stakeholders, and how to begin to have a voice in those conversations is very important for these young people. If you don't create that platform, they'll be sitting there in the background, mute. I don't want that, not in Ethiopia. So in my engagements, I have at the country level, and mind you, I am at interim. I started this position in January. So I've been engaging quite a bit with donors and partners at the national level. I can honestly tell you that at every meeting, I have finished with, let's engage the World Food Forum Ethiopia. they also have value to the work that you do in this country. And that has been very well received. I can tell you many of the donors are aware of the WFF. They've reached out to them. They recognize it as a platform worth supporting and investing in. We're working toward that. So hopefully by the year is out, I think we should be seeing some additional resources going to the chapter. We have seen, I have I've also encouraged the team, the World Food Forum Ethiopia team, to undertake research in different parts of Ethiopia. They are doing that. They are identifying some of the real barriers that young entrepreneurs face, particularly access to finance, collateral requirements, and other constraints affecting young women particularly. I have seen them experiment with entrepreneurship. showcasing their products, creativity, and business potential. Each of them have their own businesses, their own ideas. They've started or are in the incubation phase, but they're going ahead. They're forging their path. And I want to encourage that. I believe FEO has that obligation. So we should not underestimate what a relatively small investment combined with trust and opportunity can unleash. These young people are learning, experimenting, building networks, and gaining confidence. And they are beginning to find their place in the wider agri-food system space. So this is only scratching the surface. We cannot continue telling young people that they are the future if we don't invest in them. Youth engagement cannot simply be about inviting them to the conferences and giving them a platform and speak, and then returning to business as usual. We need to invest in their skills, their ideas, and their enterprises. So at FEO Ethiopia, we need to bring them into our programs that I am passionate about. Give them meaningful responsibilities, connect them with opportunities, and support them when they take risks. We need to give them the room to fail, without making failure end the opportunity. I think that's one of the things that we feel as adults. We criticize. We tend to criticize. We don't allow them to try again, to get up off their feet. So at FEO, I think we need to have that, to create that incubation space. Let them try, let them fail, let them get back on their feet. De-risk those investments that they try to undertake. So I want us, at a recent meeting, I asked the WFF to be a disruptive force. Do not be afraid, I told them. Don't simply accept the way things have always been done. Question us, challenge us, bring forward your ideas, Make us uncomfortable. But remember, disruption is not an end in itself. There must be impact. It must lead to something. Whatever you do must lead to a significant or impactful result. So I asked them to be bold. We must build confidence and create the opportunities for them to be bold. Somewhere among those young people, as I looked at them, I can see future leaders of our institutions, our enterprises, and our food system. Someone recognized that potential in me when I was 21, and I think it is my turn to recognize it in them. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Orlando. A round of applause for Mr. Orlando, please. It is so encouraging to hear what young people are delivering on the ground and how we can also build on those results. So, Alberta, let us build on that. So, because of the time constraints, we have to go fast. So, across the continent, young people have ideas, energy, and also solutions. Yet, too often, engagement happens around a particular event, project, or consultation, and then the momentum fades. So for you, Alberta, how can we move from one of youth engagement to institutionalized platform that enable young people to contribute consistently to agri-food system transformation? You have three minutes, please. Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Roger. So how do we move to institutionalised platforms. I think that WFF in its entirety, it's a model of a youth-led action-oriented platform. I'll call it a mother, a mother that supports to guide and build and we are in an age that when we are talking about the future of food and we are talking about how the youth can lead from the front then WFF represents that model a mother now we are looking at within two to three years, the number of Africa chapters that has been established and beyond that, the amazing and extraordinary works that are ongoing within the African regions. It's amazing to think that these were all established within a short time, over 23 chapters within this space. And if you go to just some short case studies, looking at what is happening in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean chapter, and how they are supporting to lead validation when it comes to food systems with FAO. are looking at Madagascar, the Gambia, and how they are at the grassroots level, they are training and most importantly, driving education through digital platforms. And looking at your own country, Cote d'Ivoire, how you are organically training the rural women farmers, the youth, to adopt, to convert waste to organic fertilizer. And then also in South Africa, where climate smart actions are being led by the youth chapters. And then you're looking at Ethiopia, how they are involved also in research, and then the Gambia and Liberia, Kenya, how they also driving policy actions. So it tells you that the youth are at the center of most activities. But now how do we how do we a more, a stronger pathway, for want of a better word. I think I will borrow the words of Director General Shu when we were in Mauritania, and he spoke about Africa leaders. leading the charge to establish a Greek Academy in India in their countries and I think this is a strong charge that's really have to come to the realization we really have to see it happening because WFF is for producing the pathway or providing the pathway but now we need to be more disciplined to be specialized if you want to be at the table when it comes to conversations that are grassrooted right from production, grassrooted right from crop nutrition, crop protection, looking at the input space, looking at marketing, looking at services, looking at even how we can convert our waste management and then how we can even manage post harvest losses. So if we want to be more structured, then I think that we need to be more disciplined to specialize. And that is the strongest pathway we need to go. WFF is doing a bit. Our countries also need to do a bit. And whatever we are learning here, we take it back so that we can continue. It's an integrated approach. One model will not work, but an integrated approach really gives the solution to building the future that we need and leading from the front. Thank you.

Thank you, Alberta. It is great to hear all the achievement of World Food Forum national chapters in Africa. And I also agree with you that the key is creating spaces where youth engagement is not on one-time activity, but an ongoing opportunity to organize, take action, and contribute to change in the countries. So, Dr. Delfina, let me bring you in. Having a seat at the table is important, but having a seat does not automatically mean having a say. And also having a say does not always mean influencing the final decision. So what needs to change to bridge the gap between youth participation and meaningful youth influence in policy and decision making? The floor is yours. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We are increasingly seeing platforms that connect young people to opportunities in co-decision spaces and youth networks, but I would really like to emphasize the work of the World Food Forum Youth Policy Board, where I serve as a member. The Youth Policy Board is an independent group of young leaders that provides strategic direction to the World Food Forum Youth Assembly, and the members are nominated by their peers to an application process and ensures broad representation across regions and backgrounds and disciplines. Together, we engage in consultations to capture youth perspectives. We draft policy papers and recommendations. We represent youth and international policy forums, and we engage stakeholders to advance inclusivity and collaboration, ensuring that youth perspectives are meaningfully integrated into global agri-food systems transformation. And in the African region, we have been carrying out consultations and dialogues, reaching diverse young people from our continent, farmers, students, researchers, young women, indigenous people, people with disabilities, and other young people with different backgrounds, even rural and urban youth. We talk to them, we connect with them, so their voices, their ideas, their challenges are properly heard. And those recommendations are presented directly into decision-making spaces. For example, this year, the voices of more than 900 young people across Africa were presented at the FAO Regional Conference for Africa, where we presented the youth statement for transformation of agri-food systems in Africa, a statement that built from consultations with young people across the continent. So in our youth statement for transformation of agri-food systems in Africa, we saw we took for youth at the center of all different perspectives across our food systems. We also brought the same youth statement to the Fort Africa's food system transformation meeting in Accra, Ghana. That meeting brought together national food systems conveners and African countries, regional partners to advance the implementation of national food systems pathways. in that space that was actively shaping food system transformation in Africa toward 2030. The voices, concerns, and recommendation of young people from across the continent were heard and carried forward. So through the World Food Forum Youth Policy Board, we are able to speak at the table where Africa food system transformation is being planned. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Data Delfina. Thank you. I like how you brought out these distinctions. So young people should not only be present when decisions have been made, their perspective should help share the decision themselves. So thank you so much. And to conclude with Duta Hilary, let us now look at this from the government perspective. So we have heard youth-led initiative, the importance of lasting platform, and the need for young people to influence decisions. So from your perspective within government, what are young people making a tangible contribution to agri-food system transformation and how is government recognizing and supporting this impact?

Thank you, our panelists. First of all, I wish to thank World Food Forum, Youth and Women Officers for this. My background have been a private secretary to his excellence in charge of youth and women empowerment programs in state house. Uh led by president Mseveni. For the last two years, I was promoted to senior presidential adviser in charge of agribusiness and value addition development. I'm the value addition doctor. And I'm so humbled to see that Fao has come up with such a strategy to engage and get ideas from young people. Dear colleagues, you are very much aware that the young people are pivotal in causing socioeconomic transformation because of their appetite, because of their zeal, their ambitions, their love for quality life. They are always enthusiastic to see that they transform communities. But unfortunately, many of our leaders, like in Africa and other countries, especially the political leaders, have always misused the young people for their selfish gains. It's not enough to sing about the growing populations of the young people in the world, about their entrepreneurial skills. What matters is to how do you tap into that force? How do you identify their potentials and make sure that they become change agents in society? And in Uganda, I've seen the contributions and the power of young people. They are the leaders in research and innovation. The young people provide the labor into the job markets by going to universities. They study agri-based courses and then come and serve into their communities as job providers. The young people have come up with digital platforms for marketing. You can't talk about agribusiness without providing the markets. The young people have cooperated in two groups. I remember my chapter when they invited me at their launch in Uganda, the World Food Forum chapter Uganda led by Madam Elizabeth, who is in the house here. I saw amazing young people adding value to the products. involving different enterprises, making money into groups. And it's upon that that we as government have to go and look out for such groups. I've seen young people advocating for government policy change to increase budgets for agriculture. I'm a victim of a youth activist. In my years in secondary school, I started youth activism. And I share with you that at one time I was put in prison because of that. But that's why I'm here now as a senior presidential advisor in charge of agribusiness. So I've seen the power of the young people. And what President Ssewene has done in Uganda, he has been the champion of promoting youth empowerment and women empowerment. You see that we have youth MPs. We have youth leaders at district, sub-counties, municipalities, villages. The structure comes from government down so that they are represented at every level to form decision-making. Government has come up with deliberate and intentional programs for young people who are involved in agriculture, like the Parish Development Model, where young people who are vulnerable with minimal capital are given like 1 million in Ugandan shillings, about about about 250 euros for startups in in agriculture led intervention we have a youth fund that is given to those young people who come up to do some level of Enterprise in agriculture and very addition we have a skilling in agribusiness under the four acre model for those young people who have small ports of land to see that they go and learn skills. Many young people go into artisan skills, carpentry, metal fabrication. But our young people now who when you are passionate in agriculture, we have a program to skill you into the basic agri ah skills. We've seen government ah putting in place money under what we call the agricultural loan facility which is interest free for those who have been elevated to a certain level to do value addition, to do cottage industries, to make sure that they earn money and create wealth. So, government is intentional and deliberate and my appeal to all African leaders, to all global leaders, is to see that this growing number of youth can be can be a a success. The high levels of unemployment and the high levels of youth of youth across the world, plus the low value addition in African countries can be any engine or a catalyst for an industrial explosion in Africa. Because you have the labor, you have the skills, and you have the raw materials in Africa. So we can use these growing numbers and cause an industrial revolution. So, ladies and gentlemen in this room and all leaders, My appeal to you is how do we create an enabling environment for the young people to make agriculture cool, sweet, sexy, and romantic for the young people for good and my country?

Thank you, Dr. Hillary. Thank you. Thank you so much for the very many example from Uganda and for your great collaboration with youth-led platform in the country. So thank you to all our panelists for those reflections. If there is one message we take away from this conversation is that young people are not simply waiting to shape Africa's agri-food future, they are already doing so. So our task is to ensure that the initiative have the platform, partnerships, resources, and institutional support they need to grow and deliver lasting impact. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in giving our panelists another big round of applause as they take their seats back. Thank you. Thank you and back to you, Florian and Genita. Thank you all.

Thank you, Roger. Thank you so much and thanks to all of our panelists. Another round of applause, please.

There's this African proverb called Sankofa that says, "It is not wrong to go back for what you have forgotten." And that perhaps, there is perhaps no better way to go back than with poetry.

And to help us bring voice of culture and imagination, please join me in welcoming the poet, author, and youth advocate from Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills, Marie Huguet. A round of applause, please.

Good morning, everybody. My name is Marie Huguet, and this is my poem, "Seed, Soil, and Young Hands." Hello, my name is seed, small perhaps, insignificant for some. You tell me, you forget about me. insignificant, you may think, but I end up sustaining humanity. There has been this debate lately about whether I'm cool enough to be cared about. I'm made political, just a seed, just agriculture, just food, or so I thought. How do I get overlooked even when addressing my pains becomes political? Climate change fights with me for my livelihood. I get deprived of water and weather, yet I'm free in my giving still. Yet I remain. Yet again, you till me and forget about me. Still I grow. You cover me with soil and forget. Still I rise. I end up becoming one with it. I breathe what you give out and eat the little the earth spares me. And then, oh, do I give you life. I become nourishment. I become energy. I am small, surely, but I'm not insignificant. I'm not too ordinary to matter. I'm seed, and I'm important enough to be cared for. Hello, my name is Soil. I've been cared for by generations before you kindly, giving me what I needed greedily, stripping me of all I owned. I have watched a million seats pass by me. I feel myself starting to wear out. I wonder if I age with the hands that touch me, or if I wear out from the never-ending taking that forgets to give back. I wonder sometimes if I can be renewed by younger hands. This tiredness, it craves air that once suffocated. It craves the rain that falls when needed. It craves nourishment. It craves care that does not end at harvest. I hear the technology is now all the rave and wish to also be studied, to be part of the new language that is innovation. Wish for technologies to study me more and exploit me less. I wish to be more than land, more than property. I wish to matter. Hello, I am Young Hens. I wear my heart on my sleeve and my brain on my hands. I toil and I code. I invent and I adapt. I am the product of generations before me. I am the farmer familiar with the land. I am the food scientist learning how to restore soil. The engineer that builds tools for the hands that feed us. The young mind asking, is there a better way? And I know still, Mr. Soil and Mrs. Seed need hands that care. So I reintroduce myself not as their savior, not as their future, as the neighbor who's been there all along, willing to listen and grow as they do, willing to learn what actually needs protecting. What use is progress if the land that feeds us gets destroyed in the process? What use is advancement if the seeds won't grow anymore? Is there anything more precious than Mother Earth feeding her own, especially with technology from young hands that actually care? And so we begin again. I am seed, small surely, but never insignificant. I am soil, worn out, but not beyond renewal. I am young and capable hands. Three voices with a shared desire. We are here to hear, but perhaps we should heal first. Let's heal the skies by refusing all polluting chemicals. Let's heal our lakes by tending to the water creatures meant to purify them. Let's heal our soil by giving it the necessary for renewal. We change what we do not tolerate, which are small, firm, or an able to like. One may ask the forgetfulness of some children of the motherland about the beauty and value that has expanded to the land as well. Have we really forgotten and its beauty and its value? Have we forgotten how it nourished our ancestors for millennia? Let's hear and heal. Let's empower young hands as the fight leads on. And maybe then, maybe then, seed, soil, and young hands can only but thrive. Thank you.

Thank you, Marie, for the beautifully written and delivered poem. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, in the last panel, we had our eye on impact. We heard what youth-led action is already achieving. But the other question is, how do we move beyond isolated or symbolic activation and take this solution to scale? So in this session, we turn our eye to scale.

And scaling youth leadership is not something any one actor can do alone. It takes partnerships, networks, and many hands working together. As the Ethiopian proverb reminds us, when spiders unite, they can even tie up a lion. One thread may be fragile, but many threads woven together can become incredibly strong. And that is the spirit of our conversation today.

And to guide this discussion, please welcome our panel moderator, Mohamed Longstone Jiang. Over to you, Mohamed. A great round of applause, please.

Thank you so much, Janetta. Thank you, Florian. Good morning, everyone. As we begin this panel, just imagine with me for a second. what could happen if individual youth initiatives reached more young Africans, attracted investment, and they need to grow and become part of the system and institution that shape Africa's future. Our session is just about that eye on scale, partnership and investment to scale youth-led initiatives and institutionalized models, youth engagement. And we have some of Africa's brightest minds that will help us unpack this with a round applause, I please ask you to welcome our distinguished panelists on stage. Dr. Segenet Kelemu, Executive Director, PANA Program, Mastercard Foundation. Also, Dr. Debyse Araba, Executive Director of Academia 2063. And Mr. John Agbola, Foundation Manager, Akko Foundation. So, thank you everyone. Thank you, dear panelists, for being here. I will first start by asking a question to Dr. Segun. Some of the most promising solutions are emerging from young people in Africa who understand the challenges in their own communities, yet these challenges These early stage locally led initiatives are often among most difficult for philanthropic capital to fund. From your experience at Mastercard Foundation work, what changes are needed in philanthropy, investment models, and risk appetite to unlock greater capital for youth leaders? You have three minutes, please.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay, let me start. I come from Ethiopia, the origin of humans. All of you have pieces of Ethiopian DNA. And I come also, the country also donated coffee to the planet. So every time you have a cup of coffee, remember Ethiopia and be grateful for Ethiopia. Also the continent that also fuels the global economy through through its generosity of its minerals and resources. So with that introduction, I would have really, this is an important forum, a forum like this on important issue, it requires also action. I would like to see at the end of this, the organizers to identify one or two actionable outputs from this meeting and what we can do. And a year from now, two years from now, we can report on this. What are the actionable areas? And I think we should not doing that would be just giving lip service for younger people. So I would have also like to see All the panelists are Ethiopians. So young people is a global issue. Food security is a global issue. No country on the planet that I know of is completely food sufficient. That's why we have export and import. So this issue is a global issue. So young people are now not just in Africa, but elsewhere also, university graduates not having jobs. So there are a lot of issues. So I just want to put that on the table. But MasterCard Foundation has been a champion of young people at the center, women at the center, and Africa as a focus, and bringing a variety of partners across to make sure that innovations are identified that are scalable, that are extremely relevant to the continent, that are people-centric, and that can make a long-lasting impact and creating systemic change across the continent. So before young people is talking about young people became the flavor of the day, we have been championing this for a long, long time. Our strategy is focused on young people. Our investment is focused on young people. We are on the ground. We understand the context of the the investment that we put in. And we have tremendous, we have made tremendous, tremendous progress with a variety of partners. I just want to emphasize that and I can go in more detail, but I see that my time is up for the next panelist. Thank you.

Thank you so much. A round of applause, please. Dr. Seguinot, for all the work that you and the foundation do, that is an important point you brought in. If you want to scale a youth-led solution, we must also rethink how we finance them. So thank you so much. And with that, I make the link with Dr. Debassy. Let me bring you in now. Investment, we know, is critical, but capital alone cannot transform the system. We also need policies and institutions also need policies and institutions that create the right condition for you to contribute meaningfully. So while supporting African Union member states to advance the key goals of Agenda 2063, what what wide system policy shift and action do you believe are needed to redefine leadership in agri-food system so that it better reflects the realities of Africa's youth? You have, Chairman.

Yeah, thanks. Thanks. Thanks, Mohammed. So in the spirit of poetry, I would like to start with a proverb in Yoruba language. It says,. And what that means is, Ile Ife, the mythological cradle of the Yoruba civilization, was founded through the collaboration of the youth and the elders. There is a lot that we can see, as my big sister, Segunet, has mentioned, on the work that's going on. There are lots of ways to approach this. I start by saying agriculture is simple. I can explain it to almost anyone, but it's not easy. It's not easy. So within Agenda 2063, and for those who don't know, Agenda 2063 is Africa's 50-year roadmap on what prosperity looks like on the continent. It's the Africa we want. This came out from a declaration from African Union heads of states and governments in 2013. So 2013 plus 50, 2063. Within Agenda 2063, we now have a 10-year cycle framework called the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program, CAADP. We're in its third phase now, the Kampala phase. Now, the Kampala phase of CAADP, the sixth objective focuses on leadership and governance. And at Academia 2063, We are supporting partners across Africa and around the world to invest in the basis for enabling the transformation of our agriculture sector. And that, of course, includes ensuring that the ownership, the youth ownership of the transformation agenda is real, but it's also measurable. We have the metrics to measure outcomes and impacts, just as Dr. Kaeli Mu has mentioned. And finally, it's about coherence. We have lots of frameworks. There's always something countries are signing up to, their new protocols, new strategies. But how do you ensure they are all joined up and speaking to each other? So we also support public institutions across Africa on coherence. This is very important. And so to wrap up, I would say, as you are here, not to speak too much in metaphors, but with great power comes great responsibility. And everyone should realize that they have power. It's not about the youth taking power from the elders or the elders, you know, grappling with power from the youth. Everybody has power. Understand the power that you hold. And with that power, what is your responsibility towards transformation? Thank you, Mohammed.

Thank you so much. Dr. Debesey, for these inspiring words and for the quote you mentioned, and I would just like to add that without policy, youth leadership depends just on goodwill. With policy, it becomes permanent. That is why we need good policies. And to make the link with our third and last speaker, Dr. John. From your experience at ACCO Foundation work, how can the private sector and philanthropy help to unlock greater capital that generates stronger, more sustainable youth impact in Africa's agri-food system?

Thank you very much. First and foremost, I'm not a doctor yet, but I wish when they were projecting, there's a doctor behind my name. It's always good to speak last when you see others speak before you, so your work becomes easier, so thank you for doing my work for me. I think the real discussion in the room should always be that we start that African does not lack ideas, neither does the young people lack ideas or ambitions. Christine on the panel stage yesterday really put it very rightly and say many of the African youth are already doing the job. But then doing it is not enough. When we talk about from the philanthropy side of things, For me, I look at it from the lens of the current philanthropic design. It's designed in such a way that we want to fund organizations that are investables, the ones that have been doing the work for years and all of that. And nobody wanted to fund any youth-led organizations. The moment you say, I'm youth-led, I'm requesting for funding, they will ask you to bring legs, ask you to bring your head, even put it on the table. And you can't have those ones on the plate. So it becomes really very important that some of the discussions around how we fund initiatives is such a way that is designed around paradigm shifts, whereby we know that young people are very critical to the discussion of food systems. And we know that we need to invest more in young people. So from Aqua Foundation perspective, we keep asking ourselves that questions. How do we move for shifts towards supporting this youth-led innovations or programs? And there are four things that comes to mind. I will really share very quickly because of time. And if I use the illustration of the MC as number one, Dr. Segner as number two, Dr. David as three, and myself as number four. The first one is that we need to really move from project risk absorb to with sharing approach. First and foremost, when a youth innovation approach you, the first thing you will see is a risk. We cannot invest in this because as an early startups, people will request you for documents you don't have. Very many people will request for audit reports. They will request for a lot of things. then what thing that we've realized is that this many young innovations have uh they have practical ideas that they want to implement so as such we see ourself as philanthropic Foundation coming in to really absorb that risk with our Capital and say we don't necessarily have to start with you with the high end funding we can give you a smaller Grant that allow you to Pilot test your ideas when you then test your ideas we can document those evidence of what works and then strengthen it forward the second thing that I think we need to do is to really fund the whole journey. We need to fund the whole journey rather than just the innovation. Because for once, capital is not enough. On top of that list is capital. If you put another thing on the other hand, young people need technical skills, like Dr. Ebisa has mentioned. They need mentorship. They need various things to succeed. So at that hand, we are saying that we will come in place to not just give you the capital. We want to bring our expertise on board. We want to link you to investors. We want to link you to mentorship that can support you. By the way, Dr. David Sarver is my mentor as well, so it's always good to share stage. And we have a program that really document that. There's a program called the Youth Agri Champions program that we are funding for 30 years. The idea is that we want funding to be the last thing. The first is to start with them with mentorship, leadership support, training program, peer networking, and then bringing funding on top of that as a catalytic approach to it. And that program, we have the next sections, cohorts launching very soon, which you can check out as well. Third on that list, if I don't forget, is that we also need to move our investment into long time locally driven action. And I think our initiative with the World Food Forum is doing just that, really taking learnings from young people and inserting it into the program. Right now, the program has reached more than 10,000 people. Last but not least, I don't really want to forget is that I think we need to redefine the word risk. the risk itself is that when young innovators and young initiative come on board, we know there is risk that involve in them. But there's also a greater risk if you don't invest in this young innovators, in this young agripreneurs. So as such, I think from where we sit as philanthropy leaders, we need to bring our hey game. To really say that let's bring our capital first, absorb the risk from these young people and let them scale their innovation forward. Thank you.

Thank you so much, John. Unfortunately, we are running out of time, but I would just like a last round quickly, if you could all one of you say a concrete action for the youth to remember, maybe starting with you, Dr. Segenet.

Concrete action, okay. So I think skill, skill is really important, and for young people to aspire They, we need to give them access or they have to access themselves what is out there, what's possible. I grew up in a village in Ethiopia with no electricity, no running water. I did not know, I never watched TV, I never saw existence of TV until I went to college. So I can't aspire to have a TV unless I knew the existence of a TV. So I think that exposure to innovations and what's possible, whether it is an agri-food system or in any other thing, is extremely important for the people to aspire and to skill themselves. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Concrete action moving to you.

Yeah. So exercising leadership in food systems is very hard. Why? Because you need to have a very clear picture in your mind's eye of what success looks like before you carry others along. So do the hard work of forming a very clear vision in your mind. There are lots of mechanisms and opportunities to influence the governance space. first have that vision and then take advantage of the mechanisms across governance and be involved, be involved in the decision-making processes that will shape food systems transformation.

Thank you so much, Dr. Davis.

Yeah, not to take your time. So for me, I think from the foundation side of things, we want to continue to invest in youth-led innovations. That is very clear. But then my key action would be that the African youth do not need us as philanthropic to lead for them. What they need is that they request trust. They request us to absorb that their risk, but ultimately on top of it is that they need us to fund their innovation to scale. Thank you.

Thank you so much. A huge round of applause, please. Thank you. Over to you, Jonathan, Florian.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mohammed. And thanks to all of our panelists. Another big round of applause, please.

One thing I love about the baobab tree is that it is not only a place where communities gather, but also a place to celebrate achievements, honor milestones, and recognize how far we have come together.

And now, we celebrate the milestone of the establishment of 13 World Food National Youth Chapters. I think that deserves a big round of applause as well. Uniquely unifying national youth agrifood platforms for youth to collaborate with each other as well as initiate and sustain context-specific agrifood solutions in their communities, countries, and continents.

Indeed, across Africa, the youth chapters are helping turn fragmented youth engagement into coordinated, locally led action. So today, we want to celebrate the young people who are turning the vision of a connected generation of agri-food leaders into action and helping make agri-food systems transformation a reality across the continent.

And with that, we invite our representative of our recently launched Water Forum national youth chapters to join us on stage. Please help us welcome them. And for the certificate, we also invite Madame Lafala Shwak. So, let's welcome Benin. Botswana. Burundi. Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Namibia, Nigeria, Lesotho, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Togo. Another big round of applause, please.

And to celebrate this moment with us, we would like to invite our distinguished panelists to join us on stage for a group photograph. So all our panelists who are still in the room, please join us on stage for the picture.

Come closer.

A big round of applause, ladies and gentlemen.

Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Another big round of applause, please. Thank you. Before we wrap up though, we'd love to hear from you. Your feedback help us improve, learn, and make this conversation even more meaningful. As the saying goes, what cannot be measured cannot be improved.

So you'll see a QR code on the screen just momentarily. Okay, there will be no more, there will not be a QR code anymore. So in any case, just Just tell us what you think about the session. There are a number of the team who are around, so if there's any feedback that you'd like to give to improve such sessions, please let us know.

Thank you, Janeta. I think we can now return to where all all began, the baobab tree. A baobab does not become a great tree overnight. It grows because it's rooted. It grows because it's resilience. And it grows because it creates spaces for generations to gather beneath it. Thank you for being part of this baobab conversation, for sharing your voices, your experiences, and your vision for Africa's agri-food future.

Let us carry this conversation forward from this baobab tree to every community and to every country across Africa.

Thank you very much.

See you soon.