The overarching theme of the Governing Council is “From Farm to Market: Investing with Young Entrepreneurs”.
IFAD recognizes that youth are not just the future, they are the present. By investing in their entrepreneurial potential, we can unlock new pathways for employment, reduce poverty and inequality, and ensure that rural areas become thriving engines of stability, prosperity and sustainable growth.
This session took place at the beginning of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, declared in recognition of the key role that women farmers around the world play in agrifood systems and their
contributions to food security, nutrition and poverty eradication. It comes at a time when we need to redouble our efforts to address the root causes of fragility, conflict and forced migration and overcome the discrimination and challenges faced by rural youth and women farmers so that they may realize their potential as drivers of economic and social development and transformed rural areas.
Extracts of the programme
10/02 Young Entrepreneurs at the Heart of Transformation: From Vision to Impact
- Alvaro Lario – President, IFAD
- Tony O. Elumelu – Group Chair, Heirs Holdings & United Bank for Africa; Founder, The Tony Elumelu Foundation - The foundation is the leading philanthropic organization in Africa, empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs, driving poverty eradication, catalysing job creation across all 54
African countries, and increasing women’s economic empowerment. The discussion was led by a dynamic panel of young entrepreneurs exploring investment opportunities in the next generation ofleaders and innovators. They also shared inspiring stories about their journey from farm to markets.
- Johann Saathoff – Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany)
- Juan Antonio Rivas – Senior Vice President & Global Head, Sustainable Business Development, Olam Food Ingredients (OFI)
Young Entrepreneurs featured:
- Ms. Cecilia Sejekam Wajai – Administrative Manager, Bosque de las Nuwas Association (Peru) - a women-managed initiative in Peru that preserves Amazonian forests, promotes ancestral plant knowledge and markets forest products and ecotourism experiences
- Ms. Clara Kamlomo – Founder, Amazing B Projects (Malawi) - a youth-led agribusiness in
Malawi focused on farming, training and value-add production to generate jobs and strengthen rural livelihoods - Ms. Didiki Fanai – Manager, Dairei Banana Food Processing (India) - transforming local banana produce into value-added food products
- Mr. Hubert Stephy Tchuigoua – Founder, Family Green Corporation (Cameroon) - an agritech enterprise offering digital tools and market access services to smallholders
- Ms. Lakmini Weerakkody – Founder & MD, Lak Nature International (Sri Lanka) - producing and exporting organic natural food products sourced from smallholder farmers
- Mr. Mamadou Diop – Programme Officer, Youth, CNCR (Senegal) - supports youth engagement in agricultural value chains and rural enterprise development
- Mr. Morgan Mwamuye – Founder, Bahari Haven (Kenya) - a sustainable aquaculture enterprise in Kenya promoting coastal fish farming and livelihood diversification
- Ms. Sabrina Ounis Faiza – Founder & Manager, Desert Fish (Algeria) - Algerian venture pioneering sustainable aquaculture systems adapted to arid environments
- Ms. Sara Perez – Secretary, Cooprobaolupe Oversight Committee (Dominican Republic) - advancing cooperative agricultural production and market access for local farmers
- Moderator: Melissa Bell, Senior International Correspondent, CNN)
10/02 New Frontiers for IFIs: Financing Rural Development at the First Mile
This session explored tools and partnership approaches among international financial institutions (IFIs) to crowd in finance for the “first mile”, namely the rural communities at the beginning of the food value chain, where immense investment opportunities exist to foster growth, employment and prosperity. The discussion focused on country-driven approaches and platforms that can facilitate larger-scale, more-coordinated investments in market access, resilient infrastructure and digital connectivity, all key for
rural development.
- Ms. Federica Diamanti – Associate Vice-President, External Relations Department, IFAD
- Mr. Aki Nishio – Vice-President for Development Finance, World Bank Group
- Mr. Matteo Patrone – Vice-President for Banking, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- Mr. Musab Alomar – Vice-President for Strategy, OPEC Fund
- Dr. Ludger Schuknecht – Vice-President for Strategy and Policy, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
11/02 International Year of the Woman Farmer
In recognition of the United Nations’ declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, this dialogue showcased the experiences and amplify the voices of women farmers, highlighting the vital role they play in reducing poverty, ensuring food and nutrition security, strengthening community resilience, and advancing sustainable rural development.
- H.E. Mary Robinson – Co-founder, Project Dandelion; former President of Ireland; former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Gérardine Mukeshimana – Vice-President, IFAD
- Katherine Meighan – Chief Legal & Governance Officer & General Counsel, IFAD
- Clara Kamlomo – Founder, Amazing B Projects (Malawi)
- Andrea Lucía Sarnari – President, Federación Agraria Argentina
12/02 IFAD14 Consultation
The forty-ninth session of the Governing Council also marked the establishment of the IFAD14 Consultation : a Consultation on the Fourteenth Replenishment of IFAD's Resources (the IFAD14. Consultation) and provide a forum for Governors to share their insights on priority areas for strategic action.
No comments:
Post a Comment