Expanding Youth Employment Opportunities along Aquaculture and Cassava Value Chains in West Africa - GCP/RAF/254/MUL

Expanding Youth Employment Opportunities along Aquaculture and Cassava Value Chains in West Africa - GCP/RAF/254/MUL

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Youth unemployment and underemployment are growing concerns in West Africa with wider implications for socio-economic growth, peace and stability in the region. As such, the creation and promotion of sustainable employment options for young rural men and women remains a prominent feature on the development agenda. Prior to the project, it had been estimated that half of Africa’s population was under 25 years of age and that 11 million young Africans were expected to join the labour market each year. Fittingly, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union declared 2009–2018 as the Decade on Youth Development in Africa, which encouraged countries to pursue policy initiatives that support job creation for the youth. Notably, in the short-to-medium term, agricultural-related activities had been identified as the most immediate means of generating income for large numbers of young people in Africa. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that in countries where governments place high value on agriculture, young people are more inclined to view the sector as a positive option for their future. The project was therefore designed to promote agribusiness employment opportunities along.

Language English

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Book (series)

Strengthening decent rural employment opportunities for youth across different processes in the forest value chain in Uganda
Practices and lessons
2021

Also available in:

No results found.

This report addresses the subject of decent rural employment for youth in the forestry sector. It is based on case studies carried out across different processes in the value chain within the sector in Uganda, ranging from seedbed development through to plantation management, saw logging and trading. Findings indicate that a considerable number of Uganda’s legal and policy frameworks emphasize the participation of youth in the labour market, especially given that young people constitute a large majority of the country’s population. However, only a few of these frameworks focus on decent work, whether for young people or the country’s workers more generally. The case studies revealed that efforts to provide decent employment were mixed. Larger and more formally oriented forestry enterprises were more likely to focus on decent work provisions for their labourers. Smaller enterprises, while aware of most of their decent work obligations, were unable to implement them due to resource constraints. The case studies also revealed numerous opportunities for youth to participate in the forestry sector. These included tapping into existing government and NGO programmes ranging from tree planting to plantation management. Additional employment opportunities were provided by businesses in the sector and the management of woodlots for poles and fuel. The limiting factors for youth participation in the sector largely arise from the huge investment cost incurred by such participation, particularly access to and utilization of land and financial resources. Other limitations included a lack of relevant training and skills and poor working conditions. These conditions are compounded by few numbers and limited capacity of officers within the Labour Directorate to administer and enforce labour regulations. The report proposes decent work indicators and recommends both policy and implementation strategies to increase youth participation and decent work practices in the sector.
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
Improving opportunities to expand freshwater aquaculture and inland fisheries production in arid lands 2024

Also available in:

French

This publication is the main outcome of a technical workshop on ‘Market system approach for resilient agri-aquaculture food systems in desert and arid countries’ organized by the FAO sub-regional office for North Africa from 13 to 15 October 2022 in Tunis, Tunisia. The workshop brought together experts from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia as well as FAO staff with the aim of developing a work programme for the development of the sub-sector. The experts discussed and developed three categories of intervention: (i) Expanding market opportunities for freshwater fish; (ii) Improving opportunities to expand freshwater aquaculture and inland fisheries production; (iii) Promoting business opportunities for youth and women in inland fisheries and aquaculture food systems. These programmes concept notes were put together in this business portfolio of investment and are addressed to potential donors seeking to financially support sustainable aquaculture and inland fisheries development in the arid lands of North African countries.
Policy brief

Youth employment through agribusiness and value chain development 2022

Also available in:

No results found.

This policy brief is intended to sensitize Government decision makers and development partners, youth organizations and other stakeholders about the opportunities offered by applying a value chain approach that focuses on youth. Youth unemployment rates are on the rise, especially in rural Africa. Creating more and better jobs for the increasing youth population is an urgent priority to reduce unemployment rates and maintain political and social stability. Investments in the development of sustainable agricultural value chains offer immense opportunities for youth in rural and urban areas. This policy brief provides a rational for placing youth in the centre of the analysis and makes reference to detailed guidelines that explain how to consider the situation of youth when conducting a value chain analysis in the agriculture sector.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.