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| Young Farmers |
Commissioner for Rural Economy and
Agriculture at the African Union Commission, Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime had said
that involving youth in agricultural development and decision making processes
is key to ensuring sustainable development in Africa.
She said this at Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia while officiating a workshop on youth, ICT and entrepreneurship in
agriculture co-organised by Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural
Co-operation (CTA) and NEPAD E-Africa Programme.
In her address, the AU
commissioner said that African's population has over 60 per cent youths and 40
per cent of the 70 per cent people in the rural areas are also youths.
The continent, she noted can
leverage on the youths available as the current youths are more educated and
learned, enterprising and ambitious.
"We can therefore reap the
benefits of the demographic dividend and create a virtuous cycle from a
healthier, better-educated and more economically productive and focused
workforce, if this potential is well harnessed,” she said.
She also said there is urgent need
for the expansion of access to secondary and tertiary education, creating and
expansion of rural job opportunities and building capacity and promoting entrepreneurship
among the youth.
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| Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime |
CTA Director, Mr. Michael Hailu
affirmed Africa's unemployment standing at 50 per cent, adding that most of the
unemployed are young people and females.
He said CTA would not relent in
its effort to support activities that encourage youth in ACP countries to
consider agriculture as a viable career path, including seizing ICT chances in
that framework. "Modern information and communication technologies provide
opportunities for creating jobs and entrepreneurship for the youth."
Acting Head, NEPAD e-Africa
Programme, Dr. Edmund Katiti insisted that African development and youth
employment could be strengthened through the promotion of e-applications and
e-services, the promotion of mobile payment systems, agricultural information
systems, open software development and adequate capacity building.
The workshop, NaijaAgroNet gathered involved 30 youths and
experts from diverse disciplines, countries and international organizations in
Africa, and aimed at exchanging ideas about the use of ICT in agrobiz by
African Youths.
The workshop also sees to
strategies to strengthen their opportunities in agricultural sector.
Better promotion of successes in agrobusiness
was part of the recommendations from participants, other recommendations
include improving opportunities for youth in rural areas using ICTs, providing
funding arrangements and policies that support youth business in agriculture and
youth companies engaged in the development of ICT solutions for agriculture.
Yinka Awosanya/LS
... Linking agrobiz, people & technology
