The John A. Kufour Foundation (JAKF) has launched the first edition of the Youth in Agribusiness festival to establish the Youth in Agribusiness Information hub in Ghana.
The festival, “Youth in Agribusiness in Ghana: the story so far and the way forward,” will be a one-stop shop where the young individuals in Ghana can access all the required information needed for the development and sustainability of agribusiness.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Baffour Agyemang Duah, the Chief Executive Officer of the JAKF, said the festival would serve as an honorarium platform to amplify the works of young people in agriculture. He added that the festival would provide facilities for young entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector to network and share their results with the public. The festival would witness activities such as agribusiness products and services, finance and investment forum where discussions on innovative financing and investment streams to support young agribusiness practitioners in Ghana, he noted.
“The festival is designed to showcase the outstanding development of young people within the agribusiness sector and to celebrate distinguished young agribusiness practitioners by providing the platform for them to share their success stories. It is therefore important to provide the platform to share the experiences, learn lessons, and network along the value chain, which will serve as an inspiration to generate interest for both employed and unemployed youths, more especially for those who do not see agribusiness as an attractive business venture will be exposed to the achievement of youth in Agribusiness. We look forward to motivating more young people to accept agriculture and its related business as a commercial venture and to create linkages and business networking space for young agri-preneurs with industry players and investors. We want to encourage agribusiness companies, private investors, and financial institutions to invest in the youth. The festival will also highlight the current situations and challenges for youth engagement in agribusiness. Getting more youth into this festival would contribute to the reduction of unemployment in Ghana.”
Professor Baffour Agyemang Duah
GIZ and other Agri-Stakeholders pledge support
Adding his voice, The Head of the Agri-Biz programme, GIZ, Dr. Elke Stumpf, said the GIZ is working on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Corporative Development to share a future around the world for the youth and women specifically. GIZ Agri-Biz programme is to support the Ghanaian government with job creation and support youth business startups. This programme is to support the private sector by reaching continental trades.
The CEO of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme Ghana, Mr. Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, in his speech, stated that they are thrilled to be a part of the festival.
“As a government programme responsible for the youth enterprise, we are to support the youth enterprises like the agribusiness. Therefore, see this festival as a good platform for partnership in attaining the programme objectives. The festival seeks to showcase the outstanding development of young people within the country’s agribusiness sector and demonstrate to the youth the endless opportunities of the industry and encourage more youth to venture into agribusiness.”
Mr. Nkansah
The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) CEO, Mr. Anthony Morrison, said, “Agriculture in Ghana necessitates restructuring to give the youth the opportunities to contribute to food security and good health. Skills are vital to designing a sustainable programme to change the transformation narrative of this country. Several government interventions have to be implemented to develop the youth”.
The festival will unite major stakeholders and young agribusiness practitioners on one platform to share their experiences, learn lessons, network, and forge strategic partnerships along the agricultural value chain. Again, the festival will create an investment into business opportunities to develop the agribusiness sector that will attract young people to venture into agribusiness.
The JAKF on the path to achieving sustainable goals
The JAK Foundation is an independent and nonprofit institution dedicated to promoting the sustainability of Ghana and Africa’s development. It is inspired by the founder’s passion for practical and sustainable development and aims at advancing effective leadership, good governance, and socioeconomic development.
