Fast-tracking Innovation Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development FIELD, has unveiled Africa Agribusiness start- up challenge for youth to engender innovation in the agricultural sector in Africa. While speaking at the event in Abuja recently, on the relevance of the initiative, the organisation’s CIO, Mr. Orji Austin noted that the programme would as well promote youth participation in the sector. According to him, revamping agribusiness in Africa requires active participation of African youths that make up the majority of the population. He said: “as the governments of many African countries call for import substitution regime with Nigeria leading the policy conversation due to trillions of Naira spent on food importation despite the huge abundance of arable land, the policies are designed to protect and incubate domestic infant sectors with agriculture on the front burner.
“The growing concern to government on how to make agriculture attractive to 625 million people in Africa that fall between the age bracket of 16-25 is as a result of defining agriculture activities traditionally that is limited to planting and harvesting of produce rather than building multiple industries across different value chain of agricultural produce using new technologies and techniques”. Mr. Austin further added that “FIELD Africa through the FIELD start-up challenge seek to inspire and raise an army of youth-led agribusiness start-ups that will create values at different level of the value chain with innovative business model. “Start-ups involve in aggregation of food & cash crops, processing, repackaging and different technology driven agricultural extension services that take products and services to the last mile are encouraged to apply.”
He went on to point out that;“The Pan- African entrepreneurship development initiative will provide youths making bold strides in the agribusiness value chain $20,000 worth of business support, technology & modern technique transfer as well as access to finance and this will change the outcome, increase youth participation by changing the old school way of seeing agribusiness”. Orji explained further: “ The FIELD Africa also runs a Knowledge Exchange Fellowship that will raise the next generation of global & social impact leaders, through a cohort of youth professionals drawn from Africa and beyond, empowering them with the required skills to launch a high impact career. “In her commitment to use an ecosystem approach to drive entrepreneurship development in Africa, FIELD partners with funds & investment institutions like Acumen Fund, Universities, Incubators and Hubs committed to researching, developing & financing star-tups.”