Former Ethiopian PM Dessalegn Urges Urgent Action on Youth Empowerment in African Agrifood Systems

Ethiopia’s former Prime Minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn has emphasized the urgency of coordinated action to empower young people in Africa’s agrifood systems.

He made the remarks on Wednesday at the Malabo Montpellier Panel in Uganda’s capital Kampala.

The forum focused on launching the latest report from the Panel on Policy Innovations to Create Opportunities for Young People in the continent’s agrifood systems.

Dessalegn stressed the importance of bringing together commitments to ensure that intentions to empower young people in agriculture and food systems translate into measurable results on the ground.

He expressed concern over the gap between well-intentioned policies and their actual implementation, emphasizing the need for research-based policy recommendations and intervention programs to be realized rather than languishing on shelves.

“In my remarks, I have stressed on how commitments to enhance young people’s empowerment in agriculture and food systems need to be coherently brought together so that good intentions translate into tangible outcomes on the ground,” Dessalegn posted on X.

The former Prime Minister underscored the significance of facilitating more young people to assume leadership positions at all levels of government and decision-making processes.