Creation of agribusinesses and ‘agripreneurs’ key topics at AGRF

Experts and advocates pushed for the promotion of agriculture careers in Africa and more government-initiated investments at the 7th African Green Revolution Forum, urging governments and private investors to advance engagements beyond discussions through to implementation.

If left to eat local, the nutrition of the African continent would lie in the hands of roughly 53 million smallholder farmers who suffer from limited financing, inadequate access to markets, poor local infrastructure and strenuous labor that has thrusted many young people to major cities in search of a livelihood. Talk around African agriculture often focuses on the viewpoint of these smallholder farmers, and with good reason: experts say these farmers must urgently build resilience against climate change and adopt modernized techniques to improve yields as Africa’s population continues to boom.

Developing agribusinesses could also promote food security and reduce unemployment rates, while also revolutionizing the sector by transforming raw goods into finished products and reducing post-harvest waste. Building more “Made in Africa” food brands is vital for Africa to fully capturing the projected $1 trillion African food market by 2030.

During a session on job creation and promoting entrepreneurship, global head of agriculture for Acumen investment fund, Noor Ullah, said not enough attention is given to the fundamentals of building a proper business. “We are in danger of focusing on the wrong thing and not targeting the building blocks which can be broken from the beginning,” Ullah said. To encourage private sector engagement, he also urged for long-term policies that demonstrate an enabling environment. Read more…