AGRA invests Sh 104 billion to empower youth in agriculture
Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, speaking during the event.
What you need to know:
- As part of its support to the BBT initiative, AGRA has facilitated youth capacity building, training on modern agricultural technologies, improved access to capital and financial services, and the provision of modern tools and machinery to boost productivity and efficiency.
Dodoma. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has reaffirmed its role as a key partner to the Government of Tanzania in supporting the Building a Better Tomorrow (BBT) initiative, which aims to empower youth through opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Speaking during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting held in Dodoma, AGRA’s Programme Officer in Tanzania, Donald Mizambwa, highlighted the organisation’s continued efforts through its flagship initiative—YEFFA (Youth Entrepreneurship For the Future of Food and Agriculture).
The programme has made significant investments across more than 18 regions in Tanzania.
YEFFA is specifically designed to build the entrepreneurial capacity of young people—particularly young women—in modern agriculture, ensuring their full engagement across food and agricultural value chains.
Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe (right), and Country Director of AGRA Tanzania, Vianey Rweyendela (left), during the event.
Over the past five years, AGRA has channelled more than USD 40 million—equivalent to over Sh104 billion—into Tanzania’s agriculture sector with a deliberate focus on youth and gender inclusivity.
As part of its support to the BBT initiative, AGRA has facilitated youth capacity building, training on modern agricultural technologies, improved access to capital and financial services, and the provision of modern tools and machinery to boost productivity and efficiency.
In collaboration with the government and other development partners, AGRA has enabled more than 145,000 youth to actively participate in inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chains—spanning maize, beans, sunflower, rice, and vegetables—and to access regional export markets in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Rwanda.
Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, commended AGRA and all supporting institutions for their vital role in transforming the agriculture sector. He urged partners to extend their efforts across all regions to ensure that no one is left behind.
The Stakeholders' Meeting on Youth and Women Empowerment in Crop Agriculture sought to strengthen collaboration between the government, civil society, and the private sector, while leveraging development partnerships to generate more employment opportunities for Tanzanian youth.
