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21^st June 2019 was a joyous day for some of Malawi’s youth agrepreneurs. Coming from central, southern as well as northern parts of Malawi, the young agrepreneurs brought together pavilions to showcase strides and innovations that they are making in the agriculture sector in Malawi.

Being an agro-based economy, Malawi has a long history of subsistence agriculture where people have been encouraged to farm enough to make sure that their families are food secure for the entire year. Whilst many young people have been a part of this subsistence movement, there has over the past decades been frustration because of the lack of economic empowerment that the subsistence aspect brings. As a result, many young people have been crossing the borders into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana in search of greener pastures. However, it is unfortunate that whilst they are running away from fertile land that can earn them economic empowerment, stories of many young people are heard of being trafficked and many dying in the process of trying to illegally enter other countries.

 

Whilst subsistence agriculture has sustained many families since independence, it has not been much of help in terms of economic empowerment. The use of a hoe hasn’t helped either and it is very difficult to make use of a vast agricultural land using a hoe. It would be very expensive on the part of the farmer as well as labour intensive. AICC together with Network for Youth and Development (NfYD) and Wealth Magazine therefore, hosted a youth agrepreneurship summit to help the young farmers by harnessing new skills, technologies and approaches. The summit was organized with the understanding that greater access to agribusiness enterprises, youth can become the driving force of agricultural transformation. With right skills, improved access to credit and an enabling environment, young African men and women can become the proud owners of profitable agribusiness enterprises. In the end, the success of young entrepreneurs can help address such serious social issues as the rural and regional migration and soaring youth unemployment and curtail the associated risks to society.