Agriculture- An opportunity for job creation

The agriculture sector is more effective than
the oil and gas sectors not only at creating jobs but
boosting growth says, the Africa Progress Panel and Sipho
Moyo of One during a session on the panel's report - Grain,
Fish, Money - Financing Africa's Green and Blue
Revolutions
.
That's good news for Africans governments who need to
address the challenge of unemployment generally but
especially for young people.
The main finding of the report according to Kofi Annan, who
chairs the Africa Progress Panel, is that "if we want to
accelerate Africa's transformation, then we must
significantly boost our agriculture and fisheries, which
together provides livelihoods for roughly two thirds of
Africans".
But what's holding us back?
"The unacceptable reality is that too many African farmers
still use methods handed down from generation to
generation, working their lands or grazing their animals
much as their ancestors have done for millenia", the report
notes. This is echoed by Yohannes Tilahun, Senior Director
of Public and Private Partnerships of the Ethiopian
Agricultural Transformation Agency during a session on
investment opportunities in Ethiopia. "It's the ingrained way
of doing things that's the challenge for us. We need to
introduce news ways and educate people so that
smallholder farmers become successful."
During his speech Kofi Annan emphasised the role of civil
society in holding governments to account. Moyo reiterated
this saying that civil society needs to pressure governments
so that they honour their existing commitments to dedicate
10% of government spend on the agricultural sector.
Fisheries on the other hand is on the margins of the food
security debate, says Executive Director of Greenpeace
Africa Michael O'Brien Onyeka. He also discussed the
challenge of illegal fishing in West Africa where artisanal
fishing "provides the only source of income for many
people" but fishing stocks are being depleted by illegal
fishing , mostly by European countries.
But how does one make agriculture more appealing to
young people?
One works with African artists to promote agriculture to
young people. The collaboration with D'Banj, Diamond,
Fally Ipupa, Femi Kuti, Omawumi on the song Cocoa Na
Chocolate has helped to changed perceptions of agriculture
among young graduates who are now enquiring about
access to opportunities in the sector, says Moyo. "Not
everyone wants to be a farmer, but there's an entire
angricultural value chain that presents opportunities."