Ngongi The role of young people in Africa’s Agricultural Revolution

The Role of Young People in Africa’s Agricultural Revolution Dr. Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA at theYoung People Farming and Food Conference March 19-21, 2012 Accra, Ghana

AGRA’s vision- Forward looking …o “A food secure and prosperous Africa through rapid smallholder agricultural growth and transformation”;o An agricultural renaissance, a vision of a food secure and economically prosperous Africa;o Marshaling the capacities of a new generation of agricultural professionals and entrepreneurs across the food/ agricultural value chain;o Acknowledging the potential of young men and women as active agents in the transformation of Africa’s agriculture.

Young people in the agri-economy: Obstacles and constraints• Low education and literacy levels;• Access to assets and financial resources;• Access to extension and vocational training;• Access to agricultural/rural markets;• Exclusion in policy discussions and instituted policies.

Training of a new generation of agricultural professionals

Practical hands-on skillsUniversity of Ghana (WACCI students) Moi University student on farm trialsKwame Nkrumah students planting Haramaya student in the laboratory

Working with FarmersMoi University (Kenya) students and professors working with farmers on farmers fields

Innovative approach to training and extensionprograms 3000 Extension Workers 200 Laboratory Technicians +300 Seed entrepreneurs +300 MSc 132 PhDs

Rural Agro Entrepreneurship – huge potential for young people

New dynamism in the private sector: Africa’s small and medium seed companies

Agro-Dealers Trained in BusinessManagement 13,859 14000 12000 No. of Agro-Dealers Trained 9339 10000 7601 8000 6000 4000 2,634 2000 331 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 (Baseline)

Other opportunities for young professionals• Training, Capacity building and financing in• Post –harvest processing including value addition• Market information• Service provision- tractor ploughing, spraying etc

Innovative Financing Partnerships with Commercial Banks: $160 Million Leveraged into Agriculture– Excess liquidity exists in financial markets• Need to reduce risk of lending to agriculture, especially for young people• Need loan guarantees to leverage commercial banks• AGRA is spearheading successful risk sharing arrangements• to leverage financing for smallholder farmers and young entrepreneurs in Africa – Kenya: $50 million from the Equity Bank – $100 million from Standard Bank (Uganda, Tanzania, Mozamb ique, Ghana) – Nigeria; $300 million for NISARL ($3 billion) – Impact Investment funds – AGRA’s goal: leverage $ 4 billion commercial financing 12

Cumulative volume of loans to farmers and SMEsunder AGRA risk sharing facilities AGRA Innovative Finance Loan volume (US$ m) (2011)30 39,238 SHFs252015 66,449 SHFs 24,848 SHFs 966 ADs10 72,053 SHFs 5 4,514 SHFs 0 Kenya Uganda Tanzania Mozambique Ghana Tanzania (NMB) (Stanbic)

Ngongi The role of young people in Africa’s Agricultural Revolution

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