Africa’s youth and the future of food: IFPRI’s Key takeaways from AFS Forum 2025
CGIAR October 2 2025
Over 60% of Africa’s people are under 25. By 2035, more young Africans will join the workforce each year than in the rest of the world combined, underscoring the urgency of the 2025 African Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) theme: “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation.”
The spotlight on youth was clear from the outset. Presidents Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal and Paul Kagame of Rwanda engaged in substantive dialogue with young agrifood entrepreneurs from across the continent. Their energy was sustained through to a jubilant award ceremony celebrating the “Go-Gettaz” along with other prizes honoring young Africans.
Youth at the center of food systems transformation
This year’s Africa Food Systems Report (AFSR), produced by AGRA, saw youth playing a key role. For the first time, the report expanded its focus beyond just agriculture to a broader food systems view, stressing that food systems transformation must be driven by and for youth. For young Africans, the report confirms that their role extends far beyond being recipients; they are essential players, farmers, agripreneurs, processors, innovators, and policymakers, whose leadership will decide whether Africa moves past fragmented gains, toward meaningful and systemic change.
Equally encouraging was the signing of the Global Future Foods Memorandum of Understanding between AFS Forum and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which will open new markets for African youth innovators. The Gates Foundation and the World Bank co-authored a white paper on digital public infrastructure for agriculture, emphasizing youth-led tech solutions—another commendable step from two heavyweights in “action over rhetoric.”
To sustain momentum, the energy around youth at AFS Forum must translate into concrete initiatives and policies that tackle the opportunities and significant challenges of the African youth bulge. I was therefore encouraged by the launch of a $6.7 million Food Trade Corridors Partnership by the African Union, AGRA, and the United Kingdom, which will boost intra-African trade and support youth-led agribusiness.
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