YOUTH SPOTLIGHT
Marie Mukagahima – Reviving Rwanda’s Pumpkin Potential
A simple observation in her community—and the ability to spot opportunity—led Marie Mukagahima to create something lasting. As the founder of Zima Healthy Group, she has helped reignite interest in Rwanda’s traditional pumpkin crop while supporting local women and smallholder farmers through agro-processing.
“I identified an opportunity in agribusiness and agro-processing in Rwanda and decided to start the company to ensure it exists for my future grandchildren,” Marie shared during the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 in Kigali.
Since its founding in 2017, Zima has grown steadily, employing a team of mostly young people and collaborating with technical schools to build practical skills. The company’s products are now reaching neighboring markets in Kenya and Ghana, reflecting the potential of youth-led agribusiness to drive inclusive growth—despite ongoing challenges in cross-border trade and logistics.
YOUTH AT THE CENTER
Advancing Agricultural and Policy Transformation through YEFFA
To harness the full potential of Africa’s rising generation, AGRA is investing in platforms that turn youth ambition into action. The YEFFA initiative is at the forefront of this work—placing youth at the center of national strategies for agricultural transformation.
YEFFA supports inclusive, country-led partnerships that dismantle systemic barriers young people—especially women—face in accessing land, finance, training, and decision-making spaces. It aims to build enabling environments where youth can thrive as agripreneurs, innovators, and policy influencers.
In Ghana, YEFFA facilitated the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Coordination Platform, led by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), bringing together nine ministries and four government agencies, including the National Youth Authority. This platform strengthens cross-sector alignment on youth-targeted agricultural investments and policy reforms.
YEFFA also supported national convenings such as the 2024 National Youth Conference and the African Innovations in Agriculture and SDG Action Summit, where 1,747 young people—most of them women—articulated their priorities and challenges in agricultural value chains.
Across all participating countries, YEFFA is embedding youth leadership in the structures that shape food systems—advancing a new model for inclusive, resilient, and opportunity-rich agriculture in Africa.
Through its YEFFA program, AGRA supported the inclusion of youth voices in the Africa Common Position on Youth, Food Systems, and Climate—formally launched at the January 2025 CAADP event in Kampala. This marked a pivotal step toward institutionalizing youth leadership in agricultural policy processes across the continent.