It is in the news that the Minister of Agriculture has lauded the intervention of the Roots Project in the country’s broader drive to ensure food security and create opportunities for the youth.
Minister Sabally made these remarks recently while presiding over the presentation of the ROOTS Project award to the second batch of the Youth Matching Grant held recently.
Studies have indicated that Africa has the world’s youngest population, with a median age of 19.7 years. Such a large youthful population might ordinarily symbolize an ample and energetic workforce, a boon for the development prospects of any region. But the dire employment situation for young people across Africa continues to snuff out their potential.
According to the African Development Bank, in 2015, one-third of Africa’s then 420 million young people between 15 and 35 years old were unemployed, another third were vulnerably employed, and only 1 in 6 was in wage employment.
This stark reality outlines the need for the government to invest in its teeming youthful population.
Suffice it to state here that the involvement of youth in agric development is key in view of their active nature in any country’s population.
It is a well-established fact that aside constituting roughly two thirds of our country’s population, they also form the active component of any demographic dividend.
Looking at these realities, however, youths in the country are faced with several challenges in finding and sustaining gainful employment.
Therefore, the coming of these Root grants is not only timely, but important as it will go a long way in empowering our youths to harness their potential.
This Root grant is designed not only to improve agricultural productivity and marketing, but also aimed at providing employment opportunities for youth across the country.
We therefore, congratulate the Root Project for supporting the country in attaining its food security drive.
To this end, we challenge the youth to make the best use of the grants. Exposing them to opportunities should serve as a motivation to explore their talents and make contributions in that regard. Therefore, youths should see these grants as another avenue to contribute to national development through their own ventures.