The Country Director of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Ghana, Dr Betty Annan, has called for increased investment in young people in agriculture, describing them as critical to securing Ghana’s food future.
She said sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector would depend on the active participation, innovation, and leadership of young people across the country and the continent.
Dr Annan made the call at a National Youth Dialogue on the domestication of the Africa Agribusiness Young Strategy (AAYS) and the Youth in Agrifood Systems Performance Index (YAPI) in Ghana.
The dialogue, held under the theme “Bridging Policy to Practice for Youth Participation in Regional and Continental Markets,” brought together stakeholders to discuss ways of strengthening youth involvement in agrifood systems.
Dr Annan urged policymakers, development partners, and private sector actors to create more opportunities for young agripreneurs to access resources, markets, mentorship, and funding.
“Let us count on the youth to give us a sustainable future in agriculture and our food system,” she said.
She noted that AGRA has, over the past two decades, supported agricultural transformation in Ghana and across Africa through policy support, institutional strengthening, and partnerships with governments, research institutions, and agribusinesses.
According to her, AGRA’s partnership with the Mastercard Foundation has further strengthened its focus on youth-centred agriculture and agribusiness development, with the aim of accelerating enterprise growth among young Ghanaians.
She added that the organisation continues to implement initiatives, including AFF, YEGRO, GoGetta, VALUEHER, and Generation Africa, to provide young agribusinesses with mentorship, training, and grant opportunities.
Dr Annan explained that the Africa Agribusiness Young Strategy (AAYS) was important to Africa’s ambition of improving market integration and expanding cross-border trade opportunities.
She said the strategy, developed under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme declaration, seeks to guide countries in developing youth-focused agricultural policies that promote regional market integration and productivity growth.
The Country Director said the youth dialogue would help shape national youth policies and generate commitments to support integrated regional and continental agricultural markets.
She encouraged young agripreneurs to take an active role in policy discussions by sharing their experiences, challenges, and successes to help develop practical solutions for the sector.
Dr Annan expressed optimism that the engagement would contribute to empowering young people to transform agriculture while supporting long-term food security and economic growth in Ghana and across Africa.
Source: GNA
