The YEFFA Capacity Support Meeting, held on March 26–27, 2025, in Harare, Zimbabwe, marked a key step in aligning youth-led networks and institutional partners toward continental agrifood system transformation.
Organized by AGRA and the Mastercard Foundation, and co-hosted with the African Union Commission (AUC), African Management Institute (AMI), African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), CAYACC, and YPARD, the two-day strategy session convened youth leaders, development actors, and institutional stakeholders to refine collaboration for the Young Entrepreneurs for Food and Agriculture Futures in Africa (YEFFA) platform.
The meeting centered on refining the CAYACC strategy under the YEFFA mandate, ensuring alignment with broader continental food system goals. Discussions highlighted youth leadership, policy engagement, and the importance of including grassroots voices in decision-making.
A major outcome was the revision of the CAYACC strategy, ensuring it reflects youth priorities and is positioned for integration into AU food policy platforms. Participants also co-created a shared roadmap that sets milestones for formal registration, youth-led advocacy scale-up, and institutional strengthening.
Institutional partners pledged tangible support: AMI and ACBF committed to mentorship programs, training opportunities, and systematic implementation reviews. The group also explored the creation of a knowledge management system, designed to capture and disseminate best practices across youth networks.
By the close of the meeting, there was consensus on the need for structured youth capacity-building, sustained collaboration, and more meaningful youth engagement in agrifood transformation processes.
The YEFFA Capacity Support Meeting reaffirmed that empowering youth networks is not just about representation—it is about building structures, strategies, and platforms where young voices shape continental food system agendas. With the revised CAYACC strategy and co-created roadmap, Africa’s youth are better positioned to advocate, innovate, and lead the transformation of agrifood systems across the continent.
