The much-anticipated 3rd edition of Ghana Youth Agriculture Summit comes off this Friday at the auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
This year’s summit would be on the theme: “Transforming Agriculture for Sustainable growth through Innovation, Empowering Youth, Women and Climate Action”
The annual summit is seeking to mobilise five million youth across the country within the next five years who would be impacted with knowledge on agriculture entrepreneurship.
The summit would further help participants build economically viable ventures in agriculture and its value chain.
Participants would also be expected to embark on climate adaptation and mitigation actions which would eventually earn them income.
Convener for the summit, Evans Kyere-Mensah has called on the youth especially women to take advantage of the event to be enlightened on the potentials and opportunities including the knowledge that would be impacted by speakers.
These opportunities he believes would give the youth economic empowerment and also help transition them to end poverty by breaking the unemployment cycle and also contribute to the development agenda of the country.
Mr. Kyere-Mensah told Business & Financial Times in an interview that the vision is to be able to reduce poverty, reduce unemployment, create wealth and at the same time ensure sustainable livelihood for young people and also to bring dignity and self confidence in them.
Several speakers from academia and industry have been put on the bill and would be speaking on different topics to ensure participants are empowered enough to be self-sustaining agricultural entrepreneurs.
Background
Ghana is facing significant challenges with youth unemployment and poverty, but agriculture can be a game-changer. With over 2 million young people idle and lacking education, skills, or jobs, and 60% of the population under 19 years old, targeted programs and initiatives are crucial for creating sustainable income and decent jobs ¹.
Agriculture can drive food security, economic growth, and social prosperity if presented effectively. This summit aims to mobilize 1 million youth nationwide in the 5 next years, showcasing agriculture’s value and related opportunities.
Previous efforts have already yielded results, with 10,000 mobilized, 800 trained, and 40 establishing their own agri-businesses over three years.
The upcoming summit on October 25th aims to build on these gains, seeking partnerships and participation to drive growth, prosperity, and development in Ghana.
By empowering youth through agriculture, Ghana can reduce food imports and boost local production, creating a brighter future for its young population.
