1. What are the biggest challenges youth in Africa face after going through youth-specific capacity development initiatives in agriculture?
The challenges that youth faces after going through capacity develoment (CD) initiatives include access to productive resource to establish themselves with the skills they acquired after CD initiatives. These resources include funds for establishment of agricultural enterprise, space or land for operations, business networks and market access. Youth requires initial funds to establish which is not readily available. Even where funds are available the interest rates on these funds are pegged at market rate that is unattractive.
Land or space required for operations are expensive or not available for youth since they do not have easy right of ownership. Youths are also lacking the required institutional networks to roll out the products and services into the market. Networks are required to link products and services generated to available market for profits to be made.
Authorities, boards and institutions in the agriculture space in many African countries are mostly to far away from the youth. They do not have easy access to these authorities and agencies to get their businesses operative and standardized.
Mr. Kafui Agbe