The population of the youth is one of the indicators adopted in measuring the strength of a nation’s economy and potential for growth. The African Union (AU) defines youth as every person (male and female, married or single) between the ages of 15 and 35 years. A typical youth is characterized as more enthusiastic and energetic and if their potential is used in the right direction, they can ensure rapid progress. This untamed determination and energy they possess make them the most valuable and capable citizens of the nation.
During a recent Agriculture Sector Roundtable hosted by Jobberman, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Farmcrowdy, Christopher Abiodun, shared some agreeing views that involving the youth in a system is imperative. He said, “As everybody knows, the youth, the young ones are very technologically advanced. They love technology and they want to put their hands into whatever has to do with technology. The first thing we do is to communicate the value, the value that a young person could create using technology. That’s how you sell the vision. That’s how you get them involved”
Christopher at the roundtable
Christopher served as a moderator for one of the breakout sessions themed “Attracting and Catalysing New Talent Through Innovative Financing in Agriculture”. The premise of the programme was to understand the urgent actions required to bring ideas to life and reveal the roles of the various stakeholders both in the private and public sectors.
Young people need to be encouraged to understand and see the opportunities in the value chain. If the opportunities are not already mapped out, hitherto players might find it difficult to attract new talent or show them the value that comes from getting involved. For example, everybody is looking at farming without looking closely at other hidden opportunities in the value chain to leverage technology to drive.
In addition, creating platforms that challenge their creative thinking towards handling divergent issues facing the system, opens them up to more involvement. Christopher cited Farmcrowdy as an example, “During the pandemic, there was a lockdown that made access to food difficult. We saw the vacuum and decided to fill it. Immediately we got our developers to build a solution that enables people to buy stuff from our store and get it delivered the same day or at most, the next day – that’s technology. We were able to do that as fast as possible because we knew the value that we were creating.”
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