Pan-African telecommunications, media and experience group, Econet, and world crop vitamin chief, Yara International ASA, at current launch “Generation Africa”, a partnership initiative to encourage youthful African entrepreneurs to hitch the agri-food sector for its viable enterprise options.
Generation Africa will attain 1000’s of youthful people by its “GoGettaz” opponents, which is ready to award US$100,000 in prize money to 2 distinctive enterprise ventures inside the agri-food sector. The partnership initiative will assist a cohort of 12 budding youthful agri-food entrepreneurs to scale and prosper their ventures.
“Africa’s agri-food sector presents a US$ 1-trillion business opportunity by 2030, especially when connected with the current technology revolution. Across Africa’s agri-food chain, innovations can be found in how we grow, harvest, process, store, transport, package, sell and consume food. Together with the pioneers of Africa’s next generation, we want to seize these opportunities. Generation Africa will help youth entrepreneurs launch, grow and mature agri-food businesses that will drive job creation, inclusive growth, and better food supply,” says Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara.
Africa has about 600 million hectares of arable land, nevertheless it imports meals for US$35 billion a yr – a decide that is estimated to rise to US$100 billion by 2025. At the equivalent time, over 60% of youthful people all through Africa are unemployed. Innovative entrepreneurship might retain further value on the continent, serving to to counterbalance rural-urban migration, professionalize farming, generate employment and provide moderately priced, healthful meals to Africa’s rising inhabitants.
“Africa is full of entrepreneurs. We have more entrepreneurs than any other continent. But where the average age of an entrepreneur is 19, the average age of a farmer is 60! The time is now for Africa’s entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and embrace the incredible opportunities that agri-food businesses offer. If we do not, someone else will.” says Econet’s Founder and Group Chairman Strive Masiyiwa.
Generation Africa’s imaginative and prescient is to strengthen the ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs inside the agri-food sector all through the continent, allowing them to unlock this untapped potential.
Generation Africa’s GoGettaz opponents is open to youthful agri-food entrepreneurs aged 18-35 from all through Africa. Budding ventures is likely to be submitted to the opponents by means of GenAfrica.org by 15 July 2019. Twelve finalists shall be chosen by an expert jury to pitch reside on the African Green Revolution Forum in Accra, Ghana 3-6 September 2019. Two winners (one man and one girl) will each win US$ 50,000 to develop their corporations with guidance from Generation Africa.
Beyond the “GoGettaz” opponents, Generation Africa’s ambition is to encourage on the very least one million youthful people to consider the agri-food sector as a viable and worthwhile enterprise different. This can solely be achieved by shut collaboration with stakeholders all through the continent to develop your whole ecosystem to assist youthful entrepreneurs.
This is Africa’s Generation, concludes Masiyiwa, “Never has there been a more powerful moment in history – nor a more digitally-capable generation – to leapfrog Africa’s agri-food sector from a net importer of food to feeding the planet.”
