New report says agrifood systems can drive millions of African jobs

A new Malabo Montpellier Panel report argues that Africa’s agrifood systems can absorb a fast-growing youth labor force if governments pair productivity gains with skills, infrastructure and better job quality. The report, launched July 8 in Kigali, draws on Ethiopia, Nigeria and Rwanda to outline policy steps for decent work, rural transformation and inclusive growth.

Why it matters: - Africa faces a youth employment crunch, with about 70 million young people not in employment, education or training. - By 2040, the continent will need to create about two million jobs a month to keep up with new labor market entrants. - The report argues agrifood systems can help meet that demand while also improving food security, poverty reduction, climate resilience, industrialization and inclusive growth. - The central test is job quality, not just job count. The report focuses on productive, secure, resilient and inclusive work, especially for youth and women.

What happened: - The Malabo Montpellier Panel launched “Job Harvests: Policy Innovations for Inclusive Agrifood Employment in Africa” on July 8 at the Malabo Montpellier Forum in Kigali. - The report maps how agrifood systems and rural economies can create decent jobs if policy, institutions and investment are aligned. - The analysis draws on case studies from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Rwanda.

The details: - The report links employment gains to structural transformation, value chain development, rural industrialization, digital transformation and skills development. - Dr. Ousmane Badiane said Africa’s employment challenge is also a quality challenge, pointing to safer workplaces, fairer opportunities, stronger skills systems and more resilient livelihoods. - Badiane said demographic pressure, climate change, weak infrastructure, insecure land rights, limited access to finance and fragmented policy implementation require faster structural transformation and a stronger focus on skills and entrepreneurship. - Prof. Joachim von Braun said the jobs strategy needs a dual approach: indirect job creation through agrifood productivity investment and direct job creation through labor-intensive public works for productive rural infrastructure. - Von Braun said more than 20 African countries already invest in rural public works programs.

Between the lines: - The report’s core argument is that agrifood policy should be treated as labor policy, not just agriculture policy. - The case studies suggest countries can expand employment when training, finance, infrastructure and market access are coordinated instead of handled in isolation. - The emphasis on public works signals a broader strategy: build rural assets while putting people to work.

What the country examples show: - In Ethiopia, the Agricultural Growth Program, Productive Safety Net Programme and Rural Job Opportunity Creation Strategy have supported agricultural development, skills, livelihood diversification and labor market participation. - Ethiopia’s Agricultural Commercialization Clusters improved farmers’ access to services, aggregation and markets. - Ethiopia’s Industrial Parks Development Corporation attracted about USD 740 million in investment and created nearly 90,000 jobs in less than a decade, many for young women. - In Nigeria, improved employment planning and job matching have strengthened labor market coordination. - Nigeria’s agricultural universities and the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme have given young people skills for modern agrifood value chains. - From 2015 to 2024, the Bank of Industry mobilized more than USD 7 billion in catalytic capital, financed more than 5.4 million enterprises and contributed to more than 15 million jobs. - The Bank of Industry also targeted women, youth and rural enterprises, helping expand agrifood entrepreneurship and link smallholders with processing facilities. - In Rwanda, the Chief Skills Office and TVET Board have improved alignment between training and labor market needs through employer engagement and demand-driven programs. - The Rwanda Development Board has helped attract investment in agribusiness, agro-processing, horticulture, dairy and logistics. - Rwanda’s Girinka program distributed more than 460,000 cows by early 2024 and helped lift milk production to more than 1 million metric tons. - The Girinka program also raised livestock productivity, with daily milk yields up about 50 percent. - Rwanda’s National Agriculture Insurance Scheme has enrolled more than 650,000 farmers and disbursed nearly USD 3.5 million in subsidies to cushion climate and other shocks.

What’s next: - The report calls for agrifood employment to sit at the center of national development strategies. - It recommends demand-driven skills programs, stronger worker protections, more innovative financing, more private investment and digital ecosystems for rural employment and agrifood innovation. - It also calls for labor-intensive rural infrastructure, better public works programs, stronger one-stop business support institutions and harmonized labor market statistics across countries. - The recommendations arrive as African countries begin implementing the Kampala CAADP Strategy and Action Plan for 2026-2035. - The report says that agenda creates an opening to turn agrifood systems into engines of better jobs and broader economic transformation.

The bottom line: - Africa’s agrifood sector is being framed as a job engine, but only if governments pair productivity gains with skills, safety, finance, infrastructure and coordinated policy execution.