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African leaders recognise the monumental challenges posed by poverty, food insecurity, youth unemployment, and climate change. While identifying these issues is straightforward, crafting innovative solutions has proven complex.

That’s why leaders converged in Kigali at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 to explore ways to innovate, accelerate, and scale solutions in food systems—a critical pathway for the continent’s development.

Central to these efforts is youth-driven transformation. The young are not a homogenous group but a dynamic force that requires understanding and harnessing. Throughout the forum, efforts focused on effectively engaging young people in enhancing food systems transformation. A key milestone was the launch of the African Youth Position on Food Systems, Policy, and Climate.

This initiative followed 15 workshops across Africa’s five economic regions, aimed at understanding young people’s expectations and their role in driving change within food systems.

While Africa’s youth diversity is an asset, consolidating these voices to shape the continent’s development remains a challenge. Youths at the forum were encouraged to become ambassadors, spreading the knowledge and insights gained to millions of others across villages and towns who could not attend.

During a high-level ministerial roundtable, leaders were urged to identify actionable steps for change in the digital and climate era. For example, how can Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda leverage its digital superhighway to create jobs for the young people entering the workforce?

Expanding activities within digital ecosystems is crucial for opening new opportunities in Africa’s development. Traditional agriculture must evolve to encompass the broader agri-food sector, ensuring young people find meaningful engagement throughout the food systems continuum.

At a Parliamentary Network Forum event, the role of parliaments in crafting policies to provide young people with capital and opportunities was emphasised. Youths were also encouraged to use their digital skills to advance governance and accountability, ensuring effective policy implementation.

National food systems conveners highlighted the need for a whole of government coordination. The United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub emphasised leadership in driving this transformation. Their Youth Leadership Programme in Food Systems aims to harness the energy of African youths to accelerate and scale change.

Developing tools like stakeholder mapping and foresight is crucial for guiding the transformation process. To catalyse change at scale, local action is essential. Building agency and adaptability for smallholder farmers is vital as Africa seeks to boost productivity, spur growth, and achieve zero hunger within safe planetary boundaries. However, for the Kigali process to be meaningful, innovative policies promoting consolidation of efforts are necessary. For instance, using digital tools to assess soil health and plan restoration initiatives is crucial for addressing Africa’s food systems challenges.

Enhancing early warning systems and ensuring effective communication with farmers is key. According to the World Bank’s 2022 report, a $1 billion investment in early warning systems can prevent up to $35 billion in disaster-related losses annually.

With the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, scaling up early warning mechanisms and leveraging the digital literacy of Africa’s youth will be essential. Both local and international financing policies must align to assist developing economies in enhancing their adaptive capacity. This includes building robust communication networks powered by young Africans.

Another innovative solution is expanding digital extension services. By capitalising on Africa’s youthful, digitally literate population, information can be rapidly disseminated to rural areas, where it is most needed. Strengthening these services will bolster agri-food development and provide last-mile solutions.

Achieving this will require close collaboration among various actors. Food systems diplomacy must be embraced. Africa’s challenges demand a commitment to leaving no one behind. It’s time to acknowledge past failures and adopt new approaches. Partnerships and collaboration between rural and urban centres, with digital platforms as catalysts for innovation, are vital.

To support these efforts, financing policies must meet new demands. Parliamentarians must work towards holistic budgeting and resource allocation, enabling investments that benefit from economies of scale, with youth at the centre, driving innovation and scaling action.

— The writer is a Global Food System Youth Leader and Climate Change and Food System Communication Consultant