OREANDA-NEWS. April 14, 2016. The African Development Bank (AfDB), in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), will organize the ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth Program Design Workshop on April 21-22, 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria. Two hundred participants from more than 30 countries are expected to attend the two-day workshop, which features prominent speakers, including private sector industrialists Aliko Dangote and Tony Elumelu, Ministers of Agriculture and Ministers of Youth from 10 African countries.

The objective of the ENABLE Youth Program Design Workshop is to build a well-grounded evidence-based understanding of the ENABLE Youth Program Concept among key stakeholders. The participants will share their experiences and lessons learnt in promoting youth employment in agriculture in Africa. This will permit the Bank and its partners to fine-tune the ENABLE Youth program design through knowledge of proven best practices Africa-wide.

The ENABLE Youth Program in African Agriculture, is one such initiative which in its pilot phase has provided evidence that, with greater access to the agribusiness enterprise, and institutional support, youths, with their passion and energy, can become the driving force of agricultural transformation in Africa.

Following the AfDB’s High-Level Conference on African Agricultural Transformation held in Dakar, Senegal, in October 2015, Governments across the continent, international development partners, agri-business companies, finance institutions, youth and women’s groups have expressed interest in working with the AfDB in collaboration with IITA to develop and roll-out country-specific ENABLE youth programs designed to sustainably tackle youth unemployment and promote food security.