Citing success stories of England, Japan, India, Brazil, China and Vietnam whose economic growth can be traced to Agriculture through the centuries, Col. Edith Nakalema, the Head State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU) is optimistic that the youth in Uganda can also do the same to spur the country’s economic growth by transitioning from Agriculture to Agri-Business.

“In sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture – crop production, fishing, livestock, forestry, pasture employs 70% of the population where smallholder activity is predominant.

In Tajikistan, poor rural families who raised Angora and Cashgora goats improved their breeding stock and adopted better ways to process fibres. As a result, rural women in Northern Tajikistan more than doubled their income and are starting exporting to markets in Europe and the United States,” Col. Nakalema said, citing examples of innovations that young people elsewhere are pioneering to contribute towards improving agricultural practices.

To bring the point home, she has also referenced East African neighbours (Kenya and Rwanda), where farmers are scaling up a new generation of low-cost portable biogas systems which provide “bio-slurry” for crop cultivation.

Col. Nakalema was speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Youth Platform Africa (YPA) on May 3rd at Kololo Independence grounds where she was the Guest of Honour.

The SHIPU head who is also YPA’s patron was delighted by the AGM’s theme “From Agriculture to Agribusiness: Doing It The Right Way” which she said resonates with the country’s national emphasis for value-addition as the local level impetus for competitive global trade.

“The place of agribusiness in combating poverty is at the heart of the national agenda for economic transformation of Uganda. It is therefore heartwarming for me to be a part of this kind of conversation,” she said and further added: “I was excited that you identified agriculture as a space whose advancement you can contribute towards and now you seek to take it to the level of agri-business. This focus speaks to your commitment to tackle not only the challenge of hunger and poverty but also the bigger question of youth unemployment.”

She is optimistic that purposeful and organized groups of youthful citizens like YPA who have carved out their niche in productive activities are a spark that the economy requires.

“This convening is therefore an opportune moment for you to identify what it takes to transition from agriculture to agribusiness.”

Boasting over 4000 members and a total of Shs68bn in investments, YPA is an organization committed to empowering individuals and driving positive change throughout the African continent.

Their innovative initiatives span a wide range of sectors, including agribusiness, technology and entrepreneurship.

Their primary objective is to provide young Africans with opportunities to flourish and create lasting impact within their communities.

Their main projects are: Goats agribusiness, Beekeeping, Maize farming, Pasture growing and Agroforestry.

According to Col. Nakalema, for the Ugandan youth to successfully move from Agriculture to Agri-Business, they must be ready for transformation, have a transition strategy and with a clear delivery mechanism.

“Your ultimate calling now is to make agriculture a profitable agro-enterprise. It requires you to devote your energies on strengthening each link in the value chain from the farmer through agro-processing to local, national, regional and global markets.

“A substantial segment of our population comprises young women and men aged 15-24. What does this picture mean for us? Within that demographic lies either the potential for tomorrow’s food producer or a time bomb waiting to explode in urban areas,” she advised.

Among the areas to focus on towards agri-business, Col.Nakalema guided the youth to set up robust governance structure and run them with utmost integrity; document and use evidence of their success to inform a conducive policy direction; and as well invest in building capacity of members to meet the demands of your domestic, regional and international markets.

“In Youth Platform Africa, we see the potential to establish a business lobby that amplifies the case for the viability of agribusiness in Uganda.

With Uganda’s population rising, you are well positioned as Youth Platform Africa to advance bold ideas and make agriculture a lucrative and attractive venture,” she stressed.

She has since put trust into YPA to spearhead an unrelenting transition from agriculture to agri-business.

“The repositioning of the sector calls for strategic investments across the agricultural value chain. It warrants cooperation between the downstream and upstream actors.

“It is our collective responsibility to make agribusiness a viable enterprise for all households. We have to render agribusiness the primary escape path out of poverty. More strategically, we have to rev up agri-business as the engine of our country’s economic transformation,” she concluded.

Other guests present at the AGM included former Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde, Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho, PPDA Executive Director Can. Benson Turamye and among others.

YPA AT GLANCE

YPA started in 2008 but as an ordinary village group with 21 individuals, then grew to a Community Based Organization (CBO) in 2010 with a group of 60 people, who now serve as the Board of Governors, Executive Committee, and Managing Directors.

Because there was a need to trade internationally and publicly, YPA acquired a Certificate of Registration as BREC Youth Empowerment Africa limited as a Company limited by guarantee.

YPA runs several projects, generating minimal profits from services and receiving in-kind donations from Africans as part of their charitable endeavors in Uganda.

YPA currently boasts of 4,334 members, 1,411 staff—fulltime, part time and volunteers.

Their total assets and investments are now worth 68.8 billion Uganda shillings including 50,000 heads of goats worth Ugx 32,500,000,000, 1,500 hives worth Ugx1,350,000,000, planted 2 million bales of pasture planted per year worth Ugx20,000,000,000 among others.

Their innovative initiatives span a wide range of sectors, including agribusiness, technology and entrepreneurship.

Their primary objective is to provide young Africans with opportunities to flourish and create lasting impact within their communities.

Their main projects are: Goats agribusiness, Beekeeping, Maize farming, Pasture growing and Agroforestry.