51吃瓜

A panel of young entrepreneurs from African countries shared their views and experiences on how Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) can contribute to strengthening nutrition and food security in the continent, during a Twitter Spaces event on 11 August 2022.

Co-organized by the and the , the event featured participation from: Ms. Seynabou Dieng, a Social Entrepreneur from Mali and founder of ; Mr. Loay Radwan, an Egyptian Environmental Engineer and co-founder of ; and Ms. Funmilayo Olawale, founder of JR Cakes and Chief Operating Officer of in Nigeria. The event was moderated by Ms. Millicent Kgeledi, Communications Officer at AUDA-NEPAD.

The Twitter Spaces event was held in support of the African Union theme for 2022, “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent: Strengthening Agro-Food Systems, Health and Social Protection Systems for the Acceleration of Human, Social and Economic Capital Development".

Speakers emphasized that incentives and different types of support are needed for young people in Africa to start a career in the agricultural sector. Young people across the continent have been part of the wave of increased urbanization, and in this respect, many need to be convinced of the advantages of working or starting a business in farming and agriculture. Support needs to come directly from government in the form of funding or subsidies, as well as through and note limited to education, training, and capacity-building programmes, which are needed for the development and transformation of Africa’s food systems and building resilience in food security as well as enabling environment.

In the continent’s education systems, young people do not learn about agriculture and how agricultural systems work, which speaks to the need for reform in government policies. At the same time, however, individuals can do their part to make agri-business and farming a part of educational curricula by sponsoring initiatives such as “Greenfingers” clubs, where children from a young age are sensitized around coming together and producing and workings toward common goals.

Prevalent in several African countries, school feeding programmes, which often use locally produced food products, not only help to eradicate child malnutrition by providing timely meals but also promote social cohesion through engendering connections within and across societies.

The speakers presented views on reducing the continent’s high levels of food imports using STI. A major challenge to increasing food production has been poor food systems infrastructure – a lack of proper roads for transportation, systems for preserving food, and irrigation for growing crops. With some improvements to the infrastructure, young people are well placed and educated to utilize science and technology to upgrade designs, sensors, and algorithms, for example, to optimize agricultural processes for better yields.

Speakers noted that there are many roles in the food supply chain and a great number of ways for young people to contribute and to earn a living. More positive stories about successful changemakers will help to shape the narrative and show the youth that the food industry should be seen as a business opportunity. To that end, increased governmental and investor technological support is needed, including in machinery, canning, and packaging.