The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences for Africa. According to McKinsey’s report on Tackling COVID-19 In Africa - An unfolding health and economic crisis that demands bold action, economic losses and job cuts in Africa are estimated at $200 billion and 200 million respectively.

In the midst of this crisis, however, lies an opportunity for the continent to tap into its greatest asset - its youth population, which is expected to reach over 830 million by 2050. Investing in young people has the potential to yield tremendous benefits in poverty reduction, employment generation, and food and nutrition security.

Unfortunately, there are obstacles that limit the potential of young people, including constraints on access to land, resources, finance, technology, knowledge, information, and education.  There have been many national youth policies and programmes designed to improve development outcomes for young people. However, these policies and programmes often do not translate into appropriate budget allocations or effective implementation and results, particularly for rural youth.

To address some of the challenges, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) has partnered with several development partners through the Rural Futures Initiative to tackle the mismatch between the education system and emerging livelihood opportunities in rural areas.

The Rural Futures Programme provides funding and technical assistance to government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders working to improve rural development in Africa. The programme also supports research and knowledge-sharing activities to help identify best practices and promote innovation in rural development.

The collaborations have resulted in the skilling of 1738 youths in agriculture and agribusiness value chains, creating 480 start-ups in rural enterprises, and capacitating 108 training staff on project execution and reporting.  AUDA-NEPAD's work has contributed to the creation of 6 National Action Plans for Rural Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship in Benin, Cameroon, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, and Zambia;  produced 48 curricula across different agriculture and agribusiness value chains; exposed over 490 rural youths on policy dialogues and exhibitions.

Amaria Mthembo, a resident of Chipata in Eastern Zambia, had the chance to attend a skills training program in conservation smart agriculture, where she learned various techniques like inter-cropping and cultivating crops such as soya beans and ground nuts. The training was made possible through a partnership between the Chipata Trades Training Institute and AUDA-NEPAD's Rural Futures initiative. As a result, Amaria acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to help improve her family's life through farming.

With the training provided, Amaria is now able to support her family with the knowledge she has gained in smart agriculture. This opportunity could potentially help lift her community's standard of living, as the skills she learned will be passed on to others who will be able to replicate what they have learned from her. Through this partnership, the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable agriculture practices in rural areas like Chipata will continue to spread and benefit more individuals and communities.

Despite the achievements, more investments are needed, especially in rural areas. There is need to upscale and out scale the results of our collaborative efforts. The experience in rural transformation and youths shows that with little resources, it is possible to turn an unemployed youth into an agri-preneur within a short span of time. Rural youths have the energy, the enthusiasm and can innovate to contribute to a sustainable food system locally and nationally.