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Emerging young voices rise in African agriculture

Cape Town - Transformation in Africa will require that young people - the continent's greatest resource - harness the opportunities that are before them, according to Reeta Roy, president and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation.

One of the sectors where such opportunities lie, is agriculture, she said in her opening address during the foundation's first Young Africa Works summit, which took place in Cape Town last week.

"According to the World Bank, 64% of young people who are employed in sub-Saharan Africa, are employed on a farm. It is a working reality for millions of young people," said Roy.
 
The vision of The MasterCard Foundation is a world where all people have the opportunity to learn and prosper. Currently, the foundation is active in 28 countries across Africa and has committed almost $1.6bn to these programmes.

"Africa is home to a new generation with the energy, the ingenuity, to translate Africa’s economic growth into prosperity for everyone. Already, young people are applying their intellect and creativity to help solve some of challenges of our time - such as climate change, food insecurity and unemployment," said Roy.

"The potential for agriculture to increase food security, create jobs, raise incomes and reduce poverty is significant. Eight million jobs will be created by 2020. In Africa, growth in agriculture can be two to four times more effective in reducing poverty than growth in other sectors."

Yet, many young people she has met on the continent, think of subsistence farming - backbreaking labour they and their families endure to earn a living.

The sector is changing, however, she said, in part thanks to the pace of technology and new knowledge.

"It is time for perceptions of the sector to change with it. Indeed, there are emerging voices who are showing that there is another side to agriculture. That is why this Summit comes at the right time." she continued.

"There are many young people who are already innovating and leading. Let’s encourage others to look to this sector for their future. We must address the barriers they might have, including access to land and financial services. We must ask ourselves, what is getting in their way?"

Ann Miles is director, youth livelihoods and financial inclusion at The MasterCard Foundation, told Fin24 the foundation's approach is about looking to add more value.

"There is a long timeline for us in Africa. Most of the projects we fund are for at least 5 years. It is always about the impact we seek to achieve and what is working and what not," said Miles.

"We look at what the best combination of training, skills building and financial services would be to improve young peoples' opportunities."

The foundation basically provides the funding and its partners have to implement the projects and report on the results. It takes about a year to get a project going and adjustments and changes are made as it progresses and the impacts become clearer.

"We saw young people in agriculture in Africa, who are not waiting for someone to come along and say 'do it this way, or that way'. These youths themselves show innovative ways they want to attack problems," said Miles.

Research shows most young people work in agriculture out of necessity to generate some produce to sustain their families. We will have to improve some of the infrastructure to help modernise agriculture to make it more attractive. If you invest in some of the infrastructure in rural areas you can create hubs that could create jobs."

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