A Governance and Entrepreneurship consultant, Victor Fosu-Boamah, has called for global support for Africa’s young farmers and Agriculture Entrepreneurs, highlighting how agribusiness is the answer to the continent’s youth unemployment situation.

He said it is important to get stakeholders together and discuss how to expand economic opportunities for Africa’s youth throughout the agricultural value chain.

There are 420 million youth aged 15-35, and this population is expected to double to 840 million by 2040.

This makes Africa the world's youngest population, with 60 per cent being under age 35.

He stated that Africa's next billionaires will not come from oil, gas, or extractives, hence the need to invest in small agribusinesses today so that they can grow into large enterprises tomorrow.

“Empowering the youth at each stage of the agribusiness value chain will enable them to establish viable and profitable agribusinesses, create jobs and better incomes for themselves and their communities,” Mr Fosu-Boamah argued.

He explained that it is an urgent priority for African leaders to attract a new cadre of young, energetic and talented agriculture entrepreneurs to drive the adoption of new technologies throughout the value chain, increase productivity and meet rising food demands.

“Recent studies indicate that as African economies transform, there are expanding opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship throughout high-potential value chains where consumer demand is increasing, including horticulture, dairy, oilseeds, poultry and aquaculture,” he noted.

He added that there are immense opportunities for engaging the African youth in services and logistical sectors in important off-farm activities such as transportation, packaging, ICT and other technology development, and light infrastructure that add value to on-farm productivity and efficiency.

"Our leaders need to step up and provide the young Africans with new business opportunities, modern and practical skills, access to new technologies, land, equipment and finance that will allow them to transition from subsistence livelihood into higher-paying work, whether these are on or off the farm," Mr Fosu-Boamah stressed.

He called for access to finance for the youth agriculture entrepreneurs by realigning incentives for commercial banks and other financial institutions to reduce their lending risks.