NAIROBI, Kenya
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 www.agribiz4africa.com, youth between 18 and 30 years from Sub Saharan Africa are invited to submit 500 word business ideas 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 ideas. 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 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.
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