New strategy targets over 800,000 youth jobs in agrifood systems

The government has launched a new national strategy aimed at creating nearly 850,000 jobs for young people in the country’s agrifood systems by 2029, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources. The National Strategy for Youth Employment in Agrifood Systems (NS-YEAS) 2025/26–2029/30 was officially presented on November 25, during the Youth Forward for Agrifood Systems Transformation (YOUTH FAST) Forum 2025. The forum was held in Kigali from November 24 to 25 under the theme: “Catalysing Investments for Transformational Impact under PSTA 5.” ALSO READ: Young graduates find prosperity, purpose in agribusiness Presenting the strategy, Chantal Ingabire, the Director General of Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, said the NS-YEAS is unique because it focuses on one core outcome indicator: job creation for the youth in agrifood systems. “We are targeting to create around 849,000 jobs in agrifood systems by 2029, with an annual average of 170,000,” she said, stating that this represents about 68 per cent of the National Strategy for Transformation’s (NST2) annual target of 250,000 jobs. Regarding costing, she said that the estimated budget for its implementation over the five-year period is Rwf173 billion, averaging Rwf35 billion per year. Policy context and demographic opportunity The strategy aligns with Vision 2050; NST2 and the Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA 5), which run from 2024 to 2029. Rwanda’s youthful population presents a major economic opportunity. Youth aged 16–30 make up 27 per cent of the national population and 32 per cent of farmers. Nearly 60 per cent of the population is under 30. However, key challenges remain. Youth unemployment stood at 15.5 percent in the third quarter of 2025, according to data presented by the Ministry of Agriculture. More than half of young people face some form of labour underutilisation, and nearly 25 per cent live in households below the poverty line, with young women and rural youth disproportionately affected. NS-YEAS was developed to unlock this potential by expanding sustainable and dignified jobs across the agrifood sector, according to the ministry. The strategy’s vision is the generation of empowered Rwandan youth driving inclusive, innovative, sustainable, competitive, and resilient agrifood systems. Its mission is to empower youth by fostering an enabling environment, strengthening capacities, and expanding inclusive opportunities for decent employment and profitable entrepreneurship across agrifood value chains. The strategy was developed with technical and financial support from partners and reviewed by the Agriculture Sector Working Group, as per the ministry. ALSO READ: Youth participation: Making agriculture pay for young farmers Strategic priorities The strategy has four priorities. The first priority is improving the enabling environment for youth employment, with key outputs including strengthened institutional capacity, improved stakeholder coordination, and greater use of youth- and gender-responsive evidence in policymaking. The second priority is empowering youth organisations or groups to effectively represent their members and enhancing young women’s and men’s participation in decision-making. Priority three, which is boosting youth-driven production and productivity, covers improved access to productive resources, development of financial products and de-risking mechanisms, better technical and entrepreneurship skills, and support for climate adaptation and risk management. Priority four focuses on strengthening market linkages. Under it, it is expected youth will be supported to access markets and receive actionable information on opportunities across agrifood systems. Youth perspective Agripreneur Sakina Usengimana, Chairperson of Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness (RYAF), stressed the changing agricultural landscape, pointing out that the youth are already transforming agrifood systems. “The entire agrifood system has transformed. It is no longer a sector of struggle and survival; it is now a space defined by innovation, markets, technology, and specialised skills,” she said. She cited examples such as greenhouse farming, digital platforms linking farmers to buyers, solar-powered irrigation, cold chain and smart logistics, processing technologies, and youth-led cooperatives supplying supermarkets and exporters. She added that agriculture can generate stable income, but success requires consistency, planning, record-keeping, patience, and collaboration. “This is not a quick win. It is a real career—one that can sustain your life, your family, and contribute to our country’s economic growth.” ALSO READ: Agri-business getting youth attention Government and partners’ observations The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, said the ministry and partners have identified pilot “anchor projects” to support youth agro-enterprises, including greenhouses, mechanisation, poultry, piggery, and fodder production. “They are designed in such a way that we put youth together and then we link them with an experienced farmer to provide capacity building and accompany them so that the risks of project management are minimised to ensure their success,” he said. He encouraged young people not to give up on their agribusiness ideas, pledging ministry support to refine and implement viable projects. AGRA also expressed its commitment to supporting youth. AGRA Country Director Jean Paul Ndagijimana said that, given Rwanda’s limited arable land, more Rwandans, including youth, will need to engage in value addition, agro-processing, and trading rather than solely production. He encouraged youth to adopt modern, technology-driven practices, citing examples such as tomato plants in the Netherlands producing up to 82 kilograms per plant, and Girolando cows in Brazil yielding up to 100 litres of milk per day. “AGRA will be happy to see youth unemployment reduced. Your effort is key. Our role is to support you,” he said, citing assistance to ensure young people’s agribusiness projects are bankable.

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New strategy targets over 800,000 youth jobs in agrifood systems