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Youth In Sustainable Agro-Allied Empowerment Initiative

@youthinagricprogram

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A program of YISAE
Empowering Africa's youth|Tackling food insecurity & fostering agripreneurs|Solving climate problems with agriculture

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[MAI Foundation x Africa Sustainability Week 2026]

True impact requires coalition, not isolation.

At Africa Sustainability Week 2026 (ASW26), we are uniting the continent’s most visionary enterprises, policymakers, institutions, and youth changemakers to turn green commitments into measurable, scalable action.
Whether through strategic partnerships or lending your voice as a speaker, there is a place for your organization in building a resilient, inclusive future for Africa.

Dates: 3–5 November 2026
Location: Abuja, Nigeria (In-person & Virtual)
Partner or Speak: https://bit.ly/ASWPartners

Derrière chaque changement significatif se trouve un partenariat solide. Rejoignez-nous à l’ASW26 pour façonner l’avenir durable de l’Afrique.

#ASW26 #Sustainability #GreenEconomy #MAIFoundation #AfricaDevelopment ClimateAction YouthLeadership

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🎓 Cohort II graduates this Saturday.

Over 1,500 applicants. 300 selected. 20+ countries. One capstone that tested whether they could actually defend a policy argument, not just recite one.

This Saturday, we celebrate the people who did it.

📍 Virtual Graduation Ceremony
🗓️ Saturday, 17 October 2026
🕐 12pm WAT
💻 Online via Zoom
🔗 Register/join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81997582322?pwd=M734jLFcjDpnoGyzsLymnybfV5C0vN.1

Graduates, faculty, partners, family, and friends, all welcome. Join 10 minutes early.

Africa will feed Africa, and this Saturday, 300 more people join the work of building the policy that holds it up. 🌱

#AgriImpactPolicyLab #SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #AfricaWillFeedAfrica #AgriculturalPolicy #FoodSystems PolicyLeadership

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Meet Kelvin Odoobo

We are delighted to welcome Kelvin Odoobo to the AgriImpact Policy Lab team as our Speaker & Partnership Officer.

Kelvin brings more than two decades of experience across Africa’s agriculture and food sectors, spanning agribusiness, agricultural advisory services, enterprise development, consulting, digital agriculture and food systems leadership.

His work across Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and South Sudan, alongside wider engagements across Africa, has given him a practical understanding of how agriculture is shaped by much more than what happens on the farm.

Markets. Policy. Institutions. Infrastructure. Finance. Technology. Incentives. Power. Local realities.

These are the systems that determine whether agricultural interventions actually work.

Kelvin is also the author of From Agriculture to Food Systems, a practical guide to food systems thinking for Africa’s agriculture professionals, and the Founder & CEO of Shambapro, a digital farm-management platform helping farmers improve record-keeping, decision-making and business performance.

But this appointment is particularly meaningful to us because Kelvin is not new to the Lab.

He was part of the very first cohort of the School of Agricultural Policy.

Today, he returns not as a participant, but as part of the team helping us build the next chapter of the School and the wider work of AgriImpact Policy Lab.

As Speaker & Partnership Officer, Kelvin will contribute to our learning programmes, policy conversations, institutional engagements and partnerships across Africa and beyond.

We are excited to have his experience, perspective and network on board.

Welcome to the team, Kelvin.

The work continues.

#AgriImpactPolicyLab #SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #AgriculturalPolicy #FoodSystems #Agribusiness

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Every week at the School of Agricultural Policy, our participants leave with more than just new knowledge. They leave with new perspectives that shape how they approach agriculture, food systems and policy.

We’re proud to see our participants connecting classroom discussions to the important work they do across Africa.

Africa will feed Africa.

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MEET AJIBOLA

We welcomed him back today as guest facilitator for Week 5 of the School of Agricultural Policy, Cohort 2!

Ajibola Oladiipo is the Executive Director at the Nigeria Food Security Project (NFSP), leading strategic initiatives on food security, dietary diversity, and rural development across Nigeria.

As a food policy strategist and public sector innovator, he bridges research, governance, and practical solutions to tackle the country’s toughest agricultural challenges.

An accomplished author and speaker, Ajibola champions data driven, sustainable policies that empower communities and strengthen state capacity. His message to our fellows today: policy writing is a discipline of clarity, a tool of power and persuasion, not an academic exercise.

Through his work with the Supply Chain Research and Innovation Hub (SCRIH), he continues shaping inclusive strategies for a resilient, equitable, and future ready African food system.

Thank you for showing up for Cohort 2, Ajibola

#SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #SAPCohort2 #AgriculturalPolicy

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From the Classroom to Real-World Impact 🌍

Every week at the School of Agricultural Policy, our participants leave with more than just new knowledge. They leave with new perspectives that shape how they approach agriculture, food systems and policy.

This week, Abiola Ojenuwah reflects on how learning about agricultural markets and value chains transformed her understanding of what it takes to build a resilient food system. Her insight is a powerful reminder that increasing production alone is not enough. Strong storage systems, efficient logistics, processing, and better market access are just as important in delivering food security.

We’re proud to see our participants connecting classroom discussions to the important work they do across Africa.

Swipe through and read their reflection.

#SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #AgriImpactPolicyLab #AgriculturalPolicy #FoodSystems #ValueChains

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Food systems don’t just feed nations. They shape economies, livelihoods and the future of Africa.

This weekend in Week 3 of the School of Agricultural Policy – Cohort 2, we’re excited to host Kelvin Odoobo, Founder & CEO of Shambapro, for a session on Food Systems and Agricultural Economics.

With over two decades of experience across Africa’s agriculture and food sectors, Kelvin has worked at the intersection of agribusiness, enterprise development, digital agriculture and food systems. His insights will challenge participants to think beyond production and understand agriculture as an interconnected system that drives economic transformation.

If you’re part of Cohort 2, come prepared to engage, ask bold questions, and deepen your understanding of the policies and economics shaping Africa’s food future.

See you this weekend!

#SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #AgriImpactPolicyLab #FoodSystems #AgriculturalEconomics

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Week 2 is live today. 🌾

Richard Tuiime is back at the School of Agricultural Policy to unpack Institutions, Power, and Politics, the part of policy work most people skip because it’s uncomfortable, not because it’s unimportant.

Policy isn’t just good ideas on paper. It’s systems. It’s incentives. It’s who holds power and how decisions actually get made.

Richard brings 10+ years across governance, food systems, human rights, and youth policy, from the Youth Policy Board of the World Food Forum to helping move 360,000+ youth into agricultural employment in Uganda.

Today we dig into:
• How institutions shape agricultural outcomes
• Why political incentives make or break policy
• What really happens behind budgets and public commitments

The conversation continues. Africa will feed Africa. 🇳🇬🌍

#SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #AgriImpactPolicyLab #AfricanAgriculture #foodsovereignty #AgriPolicy

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Interactive Session 12: Food, Land & Tech: Youth Driving Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security

ORGANIZATION NAME: Bilanga group, Deloitte, World Economic Forum DC Global Shapers, Halcyon, Youth in Agric Program, Everlend AgriTech ltd, Willow Empowerment for Grassroot Development Initiative, Global Youth Leaders Project, Dibia Agricultural Helpline SL, Vital Green Pvt Ltd, Nigeria Bar Association & Internet Society Nigeria, Climate cardinals

MODERATORS: Mavitidi Emmanuel - COE, Bilanga group (DR Congo)
David Komba Kanda - Youth Representative (Sierra Leone)

Keynote Presentation: Rina L. - Climate Consultant and Market Shaper, Member and Climate Leader, Advisor for Climate Hubs, Deloitte, World Economic Forum DC Global Shapers, Halcyon (USA)
Juwon Akin-Olotu - Executive Director, Youth in Agric Program (Nigeria)

Multi-stakeholder Panel moderated discussion:
Emmanuel T. - CEO and Founder, Everlend Agritech ltd (Uganda)
William Femi Dare - Executive Director, Willow Empowerment for Grassroot Development Initiative (Nigeria)
Naa Fofo Djanie - Founder, Global Youth Leaders Project (Ghana)
SALIEU B BANGURA - Chief executive officer, Dibia Agricultural Helpline SL (Sierra Leone)
Tahir Abbas - CO-FOUNDER AND COO, Vital Green (Pvt) Ltd Pvt Ltd (Pakistan)
Afoegba Peter Goodyear - Member, Nigeria Bar Association (Ikeja Branch) & Internet Society (Nigeria)
Munashe Mawire - Founder zim chapter, Climate Cardinals (Zimbabwe)

Q&A Session

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1,500+ applications.

300 seats.

8 weeks that could change how you think about food security in Africa.

Cohort 2 of the School of Agricultural Policy is officially selected, and the emails are out. 📩

If you’re one of the 300, welcome. Go check your inbox right now. Orientation starts Monday, July 13th, and we’re not easing you in gently.

If you didn’t make it this time, please hear us: this was not a reflection of your seriousness or your future in this work. We had an overwhelming number of brilliant applications, and choosing 300 out of 1,500+ meant saying no to a lot of people who deserved a yes. We’re already working on how to open more doors, and this will not be your last chance to be part of S.O.A.P.

To everyone who applied, thank you for showing us how much hunger there is for real policy education on this continent. That hunger is the whole reason S.O.A.P exists.

More cohorts. More opportunities. More of us in the room where policy gets made.

Africa will feed Africa.

📌 Follow @apl.africa for updates on future cohorts
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#AgriculturalPolicy #FoodSecurity #AfricaAgriculture #SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #AgriImpactPolicyLab

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I spoke at the AgriConference 2.0 at the University of Lagos.

And I said something that I want to say here, where more people can push back on it or build on it.

Nigeria’s agricultural problem is not primarily a farming problem. It is a planning problem. Specifically: we plan from too far away.

Every major agricultural decision routes through Abuja. The national plan. The national budget. The national input subsidy. The national crop calendar. Designed by people who lack the specifics and nuance of Nigeria’s diverse Agro ecological zones. And then we wonder why programmes designed nationally perform poorly locally.

Here is what the data says.

In 2003 Nigeria signed the Maputo Declaration, committing to allocate at least 10 percent of the national budget to agriculture annually. Over the ten years between 2014 and 2024, Nigeria’s average agricultural budget allocation was 2.35 percent. In 2025, it fell to less than 2 percent of the national budget.
Twenty-two years of commitment. Not a single year of compliance.

But here is what bothers me even more than the allocation number. Across sub-Saharan Africa, FAO research shows that on average 21 percent of agricultural budgets that are allocated go unspent. We are not even spending the little we commit.

And what we do spend goes through Abuja. Uniformly. Without regard for the fact that Ondo State is the cocoa capital of Nigeria. That Kebbi produces rice. That Benue is the food basket. That Kano has groundnut heritage. That the Middle Belt has some of the most fertile food crop land on the continent.

Nigeria has twelve distinct agro-ecological zones. We have one national agricultural policy.
I told that room what I will tell this one. Before we draw a national agricultural plan, we must understand local and regional realities. We must invest in the areas of comparative advantage that each zone possesses. We must stop designing from the top and start building from the ground.

The video is an excerpt from my panel session. I want to know what you think.

Africa will feed Africa.

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Many of the challenges facing farmers today can be traced back to poor policy design, weak implementation, and a lack of evidence based decision making.

That is why we created the School of Agricultural Policy (SOAP).

As we prepare for Cohort 2, we are recruiting volunteers who want to help build one of Africa’s emerging platforms for agricultural policy education and leadership.

We are looking for people interested in:

• Communications
• Graphic Design
• Community Management
• Content Creation
• Partnerships
• Program Coordination

📅 Deadline: June 19, 2026

Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dM-Hj9Xj

Join us in helping shape the future of agricultural policy in Africa.

#SchoolOfAgriculturalPolicy #SOAPAfrica #AgriImpactPolicyLab #AgriculturalPolicy #VolunteerOpportunity FoodSystems YouthLeadership AfricaAgriculture

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