Addressing youth unemployment: John A. Kufuor Foundation holds 2nd Youth in Agribusiness Festival

Agribusiness offers numerous entrepreneurial avenues to address youth unemployment in Ghana. 

In the last decade, the sector has evolved beyond traditional practices into agribusiness which encompasses modern agriculture that heavily relies on technology and innovation, processing, marketing, distribution and other value-added activities.

This evolution creates diverse employment opportunities that appeal to the younger generation. Young people, who are often more adept at technology, can leverage this to improve efficiency and productivity in agriculture.

This will not only create employment but also contribute to economic growth and food security in Ghana and Africa.

The Festival

On Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, 2024, the John A. Kufuor Foundation will celebrate the second edition of the “Youth in Agribusiness Festival” at the Prempeh Assembly Hall, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

This follows the successful and impactful maiden festival held two years ago. Participants and agribusiness entrepreneurs benefit from training and investment opportunities, market linkages, business expansion, coaching and mentorship.

In line with the socioeconomic development objective of the foundation, the festival seeks to showcase the outstanding development of young people within the agribusiness sector in Ghana to demonstrate the opportunities and encourage a new generation of young agribusiness experts and practitioners in Ghana.

This event is aimed at providing valuable insights and networking opportunities for budding agribusiness entrepreneurs. The theme for the festival is: “Agribusiness Modernisation: A Tool for sustainable youth employment in Ghana.”

Briefing the Daily Graphic on the festival, the convener of the Youth in Agribusiness Festival, Jeffrey Agyemang Duah, explained that the former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, saw the festival as a great opportunity to bring together under one platform, young agribusiness practitioners between the ages of 18 to 35, and major stakeholders.

“Affording these young people an opportunity to share their experience, lessons learnt, network and forge strategic partnerships for the transformation of the agricultural value-chain in Ghana is critical,” he said. 

Participants

Major stakeholders in the agribusiness value chain, development partners, public and private organisations, students, research institutions, youth groups and the media will attend.

“Whether you are passionate about sustainable agriculture, agri-entrepreneurship, or simply curious about the latest developments in the field, this event promises to be both informative and inspiring.

“Attendance to the event is free for all but registration is required to secure your free spot for those who want to exhibit their agribusiness products and services,” Mr Duah told the Daily Graphic. 

Expectation

The convener said over 3,000 enthusiastic youth would dive into the world of modern agribusiness enterprise through immersive training sessions.  Again, the festival would explore cutting-edge technologies, innovative solutions and a ground-breaking project at the exhibition platforms.

Patrons would be inspired by the creativity and ingenuity of young agribusiness entrepreneurs which he believed would drive both domestic and foreign investments into the sector.

More so, participants would engage in dynamic conversation with industry experts as “We will tackle modern opportunities and challenges facing agribusiness in Ghana. “This will help practitioners and stakeholders to gain valuable insights and perspectives to fuel their entrepreneurial journey.  

“This initiative is envisaged to generate greater interest among young people to find sustainable employment in agriculture and its related business.

Mr Agyemang Duah disclosed that the John A. Kufuor Foundation was in the process of establishing an Agribusiness Information Hub which would be a one-stop-shop where all the necessary information needed for the transformation and sustainability of agribusiness could be accessed by all young people in the country.

He said the foundation, therefore, looked forward to partnering with like-minded organisations to realise the vision of nurturing the next crop of transformational agribusiness entrepreneurs in Ghana and Africa.

The John A. Kufuor Foundation (JAKF) envisions the establishment of peaceful, well-governed and economically sustainable societies in Ghana and Africa. The foundation is hinged on three interrelated pillars – Leadership, Governance and Socioeconomic Development. In line with its socioeconomic development pillar, the foundation leverages the human capital of Ghana’s youthful population in the advancement of entrepreneurship and agribusiness.