AGRA

 Youth Inspiration and Advocacy Officer

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Job Reference: YIA/GYI/02/2025

AGRA and its Work

AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million small-farming households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income.

Working in alignment with the development priorities of our focus countries, we enable farmers to access improved and high-yielding seeds, gain knowledge on sustainable farming, and link to profitable markets.

In our work, we aspire to build the alliances, partnerships, and networks required to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation. We work with our partners to create an equitable youth-friendly environment that harnesses the youth dividend on the continent to drive growth and facilitate open employment opportunities for young women and men. We achieve our key objectives through a focus on the following four areas of intervention:

1. Policy and state capability – We support governments in creating an enabling environment for private sector involvement in agricultural transformation.
2. Seed systems – We trigger higher productivity by increasing the availability and access to improved seeds by farmers allowing them to increase their harvests for food security and better incomes.
3. Sustainable farming – We support farmers in building resilient farming systems for sustained high yields through interventions such as mechanization and irrigation.
4. Inclusive markets and trade – We work to increase the linkages between farmers, and other market actors for a positive, sustained cycle of commercialization and reinvestment.

Implementing Our New Strategy Through People

People are the heart of our organization and remain the true drivers of our delivery and our impact.

We work with incredible people and partners who have roots in farming communities across the continent combined with an inclusive and diverse workforce from over 24 nationalities. Our commitment to a call to action goes beyond ourselves as we arise to catalyze African Food Systems’ transformation by being Deeply collaborative, Executing Excellently, Sincerely Constructive, and Increasingly Entrepreneurial aligned with our values of (I-RISE; Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship, and Equity).

We are looking for people who are passionate about Africa to join our innovative, growing, and multidisciplinary team. Together, we can grow Africa’s food systems by improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Want to join us?

The Position

Youth Inspiration and Advocacy Officer Job Reference: YIA/GYI/02/2025

The Inspiration and Advocacy Officer is pivotal in advancing AGRA’s mission, which is centered on sparking inspiration and fostering engagement among young individuals in agriculture. Tasked with developing strategic plans, orchestrating impactful campaigns, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, this role aims to motivate and mobilize youth towards embracing innovative and sustainable practices in agriculture. The Officer will be instrumental in energizing a movement that empowers the next generation to shape a thriving agricultural landscape in Africa.

Positioned at the core of efforts to grow and curate the AGRA youth community, the Officer ensures an environment where youth can engage and participate through the platform. The role focuses on delivering high-profile campaigns and prizes, serving as a catalyst to inspire and champion a new generation of Africans poised to drive growth, innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation within the agri-food sector.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Social Media and Content Management

• Strategic Content Creation: Develop and curate impactful content across various platforms, including Op-Eds, social media, and traditional media outlets, aligning with AGRA’s vision and objectives.

• Follower Mobilization and Engagement: Devise and implement strategies to grow and mobilize followers on social media channels (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram). Foster a vibrant community by nurturing discussions and interactions.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Growth: Identify and engage key stakeholders, including youth networks, influencers, and media, to amplify AGRA’s presence and messages, aiming to expand followership numbers.

AGRA Youth Online Platform Management:

• Content Curation and User Experience: Manage the online platform, curating content for an enriching user experience that resonates with AGRA’s mission. Focus on fostering engagement and knowledge-sharing among users.

• Youth Mobilization and Engaging Sessions: Drive participation and engagement among youth on the platform. Plan and execute engaging sessions, such as webinars and focus group discussions, to encourage active involvement.
• Integrated platform management: Support the usage of the different platforms for the uptake of all linked services and interventions.
• Partnership Collaboration for Amplification: Collaborate with partners, influencers, and thought leaders to enhance AGRA’s online presence and develop collaborative initiatives to increase engagement and visibility.

Prize and Campaign Project Management:

• Youth Awards Organization and Content Creation: Oversee the Youth Awards, ensuring seamless execution and developing compelling campaign content that attracts and engages participants and stakeholders.
• Reviewer Coordination and Fair Evaluation: Coordinate reviewer teams for fair and accurate adjudication. Ensure fairness in the evaluation process and maintain the integrity of the competition.
• Campaign Strategy Development: Lead the creation and execution of campaigns for the competition, aiming to maximize participation and impact among the youth demographic.

Advocacy and Representation:

• Youth Representation and Participation: Advocate for and facilitate the involvement of young entrepreneurs in influential fora and high-level events, ensuring their voices are heard and valued.
• Partnership Coordination for Youth Mainstreaming: Collaborate with organizing partners to integrate youth perspectives into events and sessions, amplifying the youth voice within the agricultural sector.
• Community Mobilization for Advocacy: Mobilize community members to support advocacy efforts, amplify AGRA’s advocacy messages, and encourage active participation.
• Manage the Ambassadors group: ensuring biannual meetings and an ambassadors communication Campaign.

Partner Engagement:

• Collaborative Partnerships Establishment: Cultivate partnerships with organizations, influencers, and thought leaders to strengthen AGRA’s impact through collaborative projects and initiatives.
• Stakeholder Identification and Engagement: Identify and engage key stakeholders pivotal to the success of online community initiatives and advocacy efforts, fostering meaningful partnerships.

Impact Measurement and Reporting:

• Youth Awards Impact Assessment: Measure the impact of the Youth Awards on participants and the agri-food sector, evaluating outcomes and successes achieved through the initiative.
• Progress Reporting and Assessment: Prepare regular reports detailing achievements, outcomes, and progress in advocacy opportunities and initiatives.
• Community Data Analysis for Strategy Optimization: Analyze data from the AGRA youth online community to gain insights into trends, challenges, and opportunities for youth agri-preneurs, which will inform future programming and content strategies.

Key Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field – social sciences, communications.
• Demonstratable experience with youth entrepreneurs, start-ups, and SMEs, ideally in agri-food.
• Experience managing strategic communications with far-reaching influence is desired.
• Understanding and affinity for young African entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector in the African continent is required.
• Must possess strong communication and media skills, including via social media, radio, and print.
• Be able to provide clear and efficient production of relevant content.
• Experience in event management, including coordinating diverse partners with no direct line of accountability.
• Must be a clear public speaker who embodies the spirit and potential of Africa’s next generation.
• Demonstrate strong project management skills against tight deadlines.
• An English speaker, with other languages desirable, especially French.

If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV (including your e-mail and telephone contacts) to recruit@agra.org. Please quote the job reference number YIA/GYI/02/2025 in the subject line of the application e-mail.

Applications must be received on or before 5^th March 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer