Nairobi: Africa’s agricultural transformation will depend on investing in young people’s skills alongside strengthening systems and expanding access to finance, Swisscontact Country Director Sharon Mosin has said. Speaking during the Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS 2026) Forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Mosin emphasized that skills development should be treated as economic infrastructure rather than a social programme if the continent is to build resilient food systems and attract investment.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mosin highlighted that Africa’s agricultural future rests on three interconnected pillars-skills, systems, and capital-warning that neglecting any one of them would undermine efforts to modernize the sector. She cautioned that skills without systems produce unemployed graduates, systems without capital limit growth, and capital without skills increases investment risk. Mosin noted that despite Africa having the world’s youngest population, many young people view agriculture as a last resort due to training institutions preparing them for outdated farming practices instead of the modern, technology-driven agricultural economy.
Mosin pointed out that contemporary agriculture extends beyond food production to include logistics, biotechnology, precision farming, digital finance, renewable energy, climate adaptation, food processing, and entrepreneurship. The disconnect between education, industry, and financial institutions has created a scenario where employers cannot find skilled workers, graduates struggle to secure jobs, financial institutions cannot identify investment-ready enterprises, and young entrepreneurs fail to access financing.
She called for stronger collaboration between governments, the private sector, training institutions, and development partners to bridge these gaps. Mosin advocated for increased apprenticeship programmes, industry-led training, and mentorship opportunities, suggesting that young people acquire practical skills more effectively through hands-on learning.
Mosin urged agribusinesses, commercial farms, and food processors to become training hubs by offering apprenticeships and experiential learning opportunities, while financial institutions should work closely with youth enterprises before expecting them to become bankable. On agricultural financing, Mosin argued that financial institutions invest in competent entrepreneurs rather than commodities, stating that banks finance competence, not crops or livestock, and investors invest in management, not maize. Capital follows confidence, confidence follows capability, and capability comes from skills.
She added that equipping young people with skills in regenerative agriculture, carbon markets, climate adaptation, renewable energy, digital technologies, and water stewardship is becoming increasingly urgent as climate change reshapes global food systems. Mosin called on governments to modernize Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, strengthen agricultural colleges, and develop policies that promote innovation and partnerships with industry.
She challenged the private sector to play a more active role in developing the agricultural workforce by helping shape training curricula, providing mentorship, and creating opportunities for practical learning. Development partners, she added, should focus on building sustainable market systems, strong institutions, and competitive enterprises that continue delivering benefits beyond donor-funded projects.
Mosin urged stakeholders to prioritize market-driven skills, stronger links between education, enterprise, and finance, and greater investment in youth capability. She believes these measures would create entrepreneurs, strengthen agribusinesses, improve climate resilience, and unlock Africa’s economic potential. “The future of African agriculture will not be determined by how much land we cultivate, but by how many capable young people we cultivate,” Mosin concluded.
