Release: Immediately

Contact: James Shikwati

ENACTUS Kenya,
Nyaku House, Mezzanine Floor,
Hurlingham Center off Argwings Kodhek Road,
P.O. Box 135 00100 GPO, Nairobi Kenya.
Phone +2542731497/0733823062    Email: James@irenkenya.com

ENACTUS KENYA  Media  Release

Nairobi, Kenya, May 16, 2014

Enactus Kenya and Syngenta launch youth Agribusiness and Communication Competition in Africa

Enactus Kenya and Syngenta today announced the launch of an Africa Agribusiness Competition that will see youth in Africa generate creative business ideas to improve the agricultural productivity of certain crop value chains.

Through the online platform http://www.agribiz4africa.com/, youth between 18-30 years from Sub Saharan Africa are invited to submit a 500 word business idea essay that will be judged by leading agribusiness academia from East and West Africa. The best 25 contestants will each receive a USD 1,000 grant to test the viability of their idea. The best three among them will then be competitively selected by a recognized panel of agribusiness leaders and invited to attend the important AGRF Forum on African agriculture to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in early September, where they will have a chance to mingle with some of Africa’s most influential thought leaders and receive due recognition reward for their effort and ideas.

In recognition of the need to position agriculture as an attractive occupation for young people, youth with talent in the creative arts have a special category in which to compete dubbed the “Agriculture Video Messaging Competition.” Through online submission on the same website, entrants are invited to create messages that depict agricultural activities from farm-to-fork as “COOL.” The entries will be judged by leading academia in the communication field from which the top 20 entries will be selected. From these finalists, a judging panel comprised of recognized leaders in the communication and advertisement industry will select the top 3, who will also travel to Addis Ababa for the award ceremony.

All entries have to be submitted by June 10, 2014. For more information please visit the website http://www.agribiz4africa.com/.

The objective of the Syngenta – Enactus (K) Agribusiness Competition is to raise awareness amongst the youth and key stakeholders in agriculture, of the enormous business opportunities within agricultural value chains across Africa, and to attract young people to actively engage in shaping this vital industry.

“It is a great honor for us at Enactus Kenya to play a key role in  positioning African youth as champions in offering agribusiness solutions for Africa through this competition,” said Mr. James Shikwati, Enactus Kenya Country Director and Director IREN.

“At Syngenta we recognize the important role young people in Africa can play in creating wealth and jobs through their own agribusiness ventures. The energy and creativity that comes naturally to young people can make a great contribution to challenges like food security, job creation and environmental sustainability. We are excited to be partnering with Enactus in this initiative that will generate many business solutions and develop strong positive messages about African agriculture”, said Mr. Kinyua M’Mbijjewe, Head of Corporate Affairs, Africa Middle East.

Background:

The African Union declared 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security and calls on governments, farmers, industry players and development organizations to re-double efforts to transform African agriculture into a vibrant sector that will provide food security, incomes and jobs. Today however, Sub-Saharan Africa spends an estimated USD 150 billion on importing staple food and an estimated 310 million Africans face food insecurity annually despite Africa holding 60% of world’s untilled arable land. Tapping into the continent’s youth dividend is critical not only to achieving food security but also in catalyzing agriculture to play a pivotal role towards industrialization and the creation of millions of meaningful jobs.

Enactus is a community of students, academia and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives. Enactus Kenya has organized university business competitions for the last 12 years. For more information please go to www.enactus.org/country/kenya/

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 28,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.  For more information please go to http://www.syngenta.com/