The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is celebrating its 10th anniversary under the theme, “African Higher Education Week: Transforming Agricultural Education – a Platform for the Way Forward.” This anniversary coincides with the AU annual theme of Agriculture and Food Security; as well as the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) recommendation that Africa achieves 6% economic growth through agricultural transformation.

Agriculture in Africa grew by 4% per annum over the last decade, lower than the 6% target envisaged by CAADP. It is for this reason that RUFORUM’s theme is vital. Africa has about 60% of the world’s uncultivated land. The continent spends USD 150 billion annually on staple food imports and 310 million of its citizenry face starvation annually.
 
The over 65% youthful population in Africa is a vibrant constituency that has the potential to reverse this trend. Armed with the right information and support, African youth can liberate Africa from food insecurity. The current focus on agricultural activities among the youth in Africa is a step in the right direction. Such activities that involve African youth coming up with scalable business ideas in selected crop value chains ought to be supported.