The Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) programme is targeting 1.5 million young people across Africa with support to build businesses, access jobs and improve their livelihoods in the agriculture and food sectors.
Youth, Gender and Enterprise Development Officer at AGRA Ghana, Ruhia Abubakar, said the Pan-African initiative was creating pathways for young people to participate economically in food and agriculture systems.
Speaking at the Ghana Agrifood Youth Dialogue on Friday, August 28, she said YEFFA was working with various organisations to equip young people with skills, entrepreneurship opportunities, market linkages and other forms of support.
She said the programme went beyond grant support, also working with government institutions to promote policies and reforms that would create an enabling environment for young people to thrive.
“YEFFA is really about creating pathways for young people to participate economically in their food systems,” she said.
Ms Abubakar said the programme’s success would not be measured solely by the number of young people reached, but by its ability to help beneficiaries establish sustainable enterprises and secure meaningful employment.
“Beyond the numbers, what matters is whether that support helps a young person build an enterprise,” she added.
She said the programme ultimately sought to create access to jobs and markets while improving the livelihoods of young people across the continent.
YEFFA is a five-year initiative that is expanding into Ghana following its launch in Malawi and Tanzania.
