One of the biggest societal problems that Africa continues to grapple with is lack of economic opportunities for our youth. A very unfortunate scenario since the youth are the most innovative and energetic part of our population. To put the scenario in numbers, 18.3% of unemployed people are in the youth bracket. With a national population of 47.6 Million Kenyans and an unemployment level of 9.3%, clearly too many young people are in the cold.
We see disillusioned young men and women staring blankly at nothingness and some getting into vices. Often we judge them for the life they have ‘chosen’ . But with the right policies, the youth is a pool of energy that can be empowered to make more of their lives, and at the same time contribute to their local economies and the national economy.
Contrary to a perception that is gaining ground of late, the youth are not necessarily lazy. They are ready and willing to work and what they need is skills training, mentorship, and financial assistance to get businesses going.
One of the surest ways of addressing the unemployment problem among the youth is Agriculture. One, it can keep our youth occupied and making money, and two, it will help address the perpetual problem of food security. We have access to land and our youth are not averse to getting down and dirty in the farms to make a buck. So important is agriculture and agribusiness that they are in the radar of the most important development parameters – Vision 2030, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Big Four Agenda.
This sector cannot therefore be left unattended and new research and studies are needed so that policy makers are in touch with how the sector is doing, what new challenges are cropping up, and what needs to be done.
It is in the backdrop of all these that the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research held the Utafiti Sera National Conference at Windsor Golf and Country Club last week. This was a two-day multi stakeholder brainstorming conference whose aim was to have a keen look at Agribusiness in the country with specific bias on mangoes and potato growing and value addition.
For this conference, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) was working in partnership with Alternatives Africa Limited and the Center for African Bio Entrepreneurship. PASGR is an independent nonprofit research organization in Kenya. Alternatives Africa Limited is a youth led organization that provides an affordable ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs, bot in rural and urban areas. The Center for African Bio Entrepreneurship is a knowledge sharing nonprofit organization that works to enhance the skills of small holder farmers, women and youth entrepreneurs.
The conference featured in-depth discussions about Agribusiness from experts in different fields such as funding and how the youth can access it, digitization, and challenges facing the sector. There was a lot to learn. One thing I learnt for instance was that the National Potato Council of Kenya has a platform called Viazi Soko, that has digitized agriculture and made the entire value chain accessible to farmers. Check out Viazi Soko here or via USSD *483*331#.
On financing, I learned that the Agricultural Finance Corporation has zero interest loans for startups, accelerator loans at 5% interest, and commercial loans.
The conversation of Agribusiness as an avenue for job creation is crucial and research initiatives like Utafiti Sera are needed to keep policy makers involved. We look forward to more of these conversations.