Around 20 young agricultural entrepreneurs are set to meet in Dakar from Monday December 18 to 20, 2017 to examine how new information and communication technologies (ICT) can be used to create jobs and income-generating activities in the agri-food system.
Organized by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF),this three-day forum will aim to build the skills and competencies of young people to identify existing opportunities in NTIC and the agricultural sector.
The forum will also facilitate local and regional networking with ICT service providers, identifying common challenges and proposing context-specific solutions in the field of agricultural e-finance. In addition, participants will gain the ability to recognize the potential - and how to use - applications for online trade in agricultural products.
"Employment for young people is a major challenge for the economies of West and Central Africa," says Dr. Abdou TENKOUANO, CORAF's Executive Director.
"As a solutions organization, CORAF has facilitated the creation of several technologies and seed varieties that are showing promise for young people seeking income-generating activities." By funding the Agri-Entrepreneurs Forum, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) hopes that young people will seize existing opportunities in ICT and agriculture to improve their well-being.
"We hope that young people in the region will take advantage of these new technologies not only to become a productive force in local economies, but also to build a better future for themselves and their communities," said Mr. Abdel Wahab Cherif, Representative of the Islamic Development Bank's Regional Office in Dakar.
CORAF is organizing this forum as part of its NEYAT youth employment project, which stands for Nurturing Enterprising Youth in Agricultural Technologies.
NEYAT has completed two portfolios on knowledge sharing and online channels in previous years. It now aims to train over 1,000 young people and help them set up as agricultural entrepreneurs.
An initial group of 120 mentees, out of 3,000 applicants, is selected to begin a one-year virtual mentorship starting in 2018