Empowering Youth and Women in Agrifood: Bridging Entrepreneurship and Job Creation

7 July 2026. Empowering Youth and Women in Agrifood: Bridging Entrepreneurship and Job Creation for Sustainable Impact - Organizers: PAFO and COLEAD

The 27th PAFO–COLEAD Innovations Session discussed how agrifood systems and the organisations, cooperatives, MSMEs and support ecosystems can better serve youth and women as both entrepreneurs and jobseekers, and how strengthening one pathway can reinforce the other for sustainable, inclusive impact.

• Moderator: Aimable Twagirayezu, Programs Officer, PAFO
• Laura Wauters , Head of Training Department, COLEAD
• Babafemi Oyewole, CEO, PAFO
• Olusola Adeyemo , Lead Sustainable Farming , Distribution and Extension , AGRA

Panel 1: youth - and women -led agrifood businesses creating value and quality work 

Practical experiences across the entrepreneurship and employment pathways

• Chiamaka Ndukwu, CEO , AgroHive
• Akejo Gordon Victor, CEO , Gordon Agricultural Organisation
• Fatoumatta Joof , Director of Programs, The Woman Boss

Panel 2: Building support ecosystems for inclusive growth

strengthening skills, entrepreneurship and quality employment

• Genna Tesdall, Director of Young Professionals for Agricultural Development
• (YPARD)
• Mathabo Tsepa, Women Leader, SACAU, PAFO
• Key takeaways and conclusion Ahoefa Soklou, Project officer, Networks and
• Alliances, COLEAD

Program Links

📄English
📄French
📄Portuguese

Biodata Links

📄English
📄French