THE AFRICAN REGIONAL YOUTHCONGRESS AND EXPOSITION ON
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT/WEALTH CREATION:OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND
YOUTH LEADERSHIP FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION
June 20-23 2005

THE AFRICAN REGIONAL YOUTHCONGRESS AND EXPOSITION ON
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT/WEALTH
CREATION: OPPORTUNITIES IN
AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY AND YOUTHLEADERSHIP FOR HIV/AIDSPREVENTION
June 20-23 2005

A report of the 2005 African Regional Youth Congress and Exposition on Youth Employment/Wealth Creation: Opportunities inAgriculture, Science and Technology and Youth Leadership For HIV/AIDS Prevention held at The Hilton, Nairobi, Kenya from
June 20 to 23, 2005.

© 2005 African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

A PUBLICATION OF THE ATPS COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

ISBN: 9966-916-34-2

CTA
Postbus 380
6700 AJ Wageningen
The Netherlands
Website: www.cta.int
ATPS
P.O. Box 10081
00100 GPO
Nairobi, Kenya
Website: www.atpsnet.org

ABOUT THE AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY POLICY STUDIES (ATPS)
NETWORKThe African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a multi-disciplinary network of
researchers, policy makers, actors in the private sector and other end users interested in generating,promoting and strengthening innovative science and technology policies in Africa. With a regionalsecretariat in Nairobi, the network operates through national chapters in 23 countries, with an
expansion plan to cover the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
One of the objectives of the network is to disseminate research results to policy makers, legislators,
the organized private sector, civil society, mass media and farmers’ groups through publications,dialogue and advocacy. Among its range of publications are the Working Paper Series (WPS),
Research Paper Series (RPS), Special Paper Series (SPS), Technopolicy Briefs and Workshop Reports.
ATPS is supported by a growing number of donors including the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC), the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Foundation, theWorld Bank, the OPEC Fund, Ford Foundation, Coca-Cola Eastern Africa, the African Development
Bank, infoDev and the Royal Dutch Government.

ABOUT THE TECHNICAL CENTRE FOR AGRICULTURAL AND
RURAL COOPERATION (CTA)
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) was established in 1983 under
the Lomé Convention between the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Group of States and theEuropean Union Member States. Since 2000, it has operated within the framework of the ACP-EC
Cotonou Agreement.
CTA’s tasks are to develop and provide services that improve access to information for agriculturaland rural development, and to strengthen the capacity of ACP countries to produce, acquire,exchange and utilise information in this area. CTA’s programmes are designed to: provide a wide
range of information products and services and enhance awareness of relevant information sources;
promote the integrated use of appropriate communication channels and intensify contacts andinformation exchange (particularly intra-ACP); and develop ACP capacity to generate and manage
agricultural information and to formulate ICM strategies, including those relevant to science andtechnology. CTA’s work incorporates new developments in methodologies and cross-cutting issues
such as gender and social capital.

FOREWORD“No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather both are processes that continue to evolve
over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its
lifeline.”
In 1998, UN Secretary General Koffi Annan in addressing Ministers responsible for youth madethis statement as he cautioned nations and the international community not to marginalize theyouth. By 2002, youths began to take action so that they could be heard. They said, “We are children
whose voices are not heard. It is time we are taken into account”.
In 2004, CTA provided the youth from Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific regions with the opportunity
to speak out. The Centre, accepting that youths are the best experts when it comes to understanding
and articulating the issues affecting them, hosted an expert consultation for youths from several
ACP countries. The Observatory provided the ACP youth with a forum to discuss the role ofInformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in linking rural youth with the rapidly changing
realities of modern life. The youth then presented their recommendations to ACP-EU ambassadorsand policy makers at a specially arranged meeting in Brussels. There, the ACP youth eloquently
stated that they have limited options to actively seek and share information and to communicate
with others because of the isolation and material poverty of their communities. They encouraged
the ambassadors to help them secure an enabling environment to advance their interaction in thewider society.
The success of the 2004 CTA Youth Observatory set the stage for this 2005 collaboration between
the CTA and the African Technology Policies Studies Network for an African-wide Regional Youth
Congress on “Youth Employment/Wealth Creation: Opportunities in Agriculture, Science andTechnology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention”. The future of agricultural andrural development in ACP countries lies in the hands of the youth who the societies marginalize.
What better mechanism than to give the youth the chance to elaborate the issues that are preventing
them from realizing their potential and overcoming the constraints in agriculture, using science,technology and innovation as the launch pad? CTA was not disappointed with the Congress as the
youth clearly demonstrated why there is need to have confidence in them. They have called oninternational organizations to empower them; for governments to implement policies to facilitate
greater application of science, technology and innovation for socio-economic development ofAfrica; for institutions of higher learning to play a major role and for the media to focus on theplight of youth in Africa and ST&I for turning around the situation of Africa’s youth.
CTA will continue to empower ACP youth to increase their participation in decision making andprovide opportunities for them to network not only with their peers but with other key strategic
partners including universities and government agencies. The Centre will also seek to ensure that
ICTs are fully integrated into rural youth policy.
Hansjörg Neun
Director, CTA

TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1.1 Congress Objectives
1.2 Expected Outcomes
1.3 Attendance
1.4 Delivery methodology

1
2
2
2

Communique of the African Regional Youth Congress and Exposition on Youth
Employment/Wealth Creation

3

Day One: Opening Ceremony
Session One
2.1 Welcome Remarks by Maurice Bolo, ATPS
2.2 Welcome Remarks by Judith Ann Francis, CTA
2.3 Summary of Opening Remarks by Osita Ogbu, CTA
Session Two
2.4 Overview of Essay Competition and Presentation of Awards
Session Three
2.5 Keynote Presentation - The role of science, technology and innovation
in wealth and employment creation: The prospects and challenges of the
youth in Africa by Kevit Desai
2.6 Keynote Address - Information communication technologies (ICTs):
Opening new frontiers for youth in Africa by Titilayo O. Akinsanmi
2.7 Value addition to agri-produce, an avenue for employment/wealthcreation in Africa by Francis Kweku Amagloh
2.8 Opportunities for job/wealth creation in utulization of ICTs in small
and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Africa: Lessons fromInternet use
in the Kariobangi Light Industries, Nairobi, Kenya by Muriuki Mureithi
2.9 Indigenous technologies and wealth creation: A case study by
Cindano Charles Gakuru
Day Two: Focus - Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation
Session One
3.1 Agricultural biotechnology and wealth creation in Africa: Prospects forthe youth. The case of the tree biotechnology project in Kenya by Maurice
Bolo
3.2 The role of geographic information systems (GIS)in enhancing
agricultural productivity and wealth creation in Africa: Practical applicationsin Kenya by Sospeter Ohanya

6
7
9
11

16
18
19

20
21

23

26

3.3 Accessing start-up capital for innovative youth projects in Uganda: thecase of the Loge’l Project by Herbert Lwanga
Session Two
3.4 Science and technology alone are not enough: Politics and linkages for
S&T-led development in Africa: What role for the youth? by Osita Ogbu
3.5 Legal and policy support for science and technology in Africa: An auditof selected East African countries by Ndolo Asasa

28

30
31

Day Three: Focus - Agricultural Sceince, Technology & Innovation - The Way Forward
for Africa’s Youth
Session One
4.1 Opportunities for innovative grassroots partnerships for employment andwealth creation in Kenya by Elizabeth Obanda
32
4.2 Bridging the gender gap in agriculture, science, technology and innovation
education in Africa: Employment and wealth creation by Levi S. Akundabweni
34
4.3 Reports from the discussion groups37
4.4 Visit to the Oserian Development Farm
38
Day Four: Focus - Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention
Session One
5.1 The effects of HIV/AIDS on youth employment and wealth creation:
Experiences from Nigeria, by Belinda O. Ndubuisi
5.2 Stigma, attitude, knowledge and behavioural change: The key pillars forarresting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa by Gabriel Kamimo
5.3 Abstinence and behaviour change for the youth: What works? by Juma Warria
5.4 Discussion
5.5 Closing Ceremony
Annexes
Annex 1: CTA/ATPS Africa Regional Youth Congress Participants List
Annex 2: CTA/ATPS Africa Regional Youth Congress Programme
Annex 3: Essay Competition Announcement
Annex 4: Essay by Winnie Alum
Annex 5: Essay by Catherine Ndunge Muthoka
Annex 6: Essay by Philip Mutuma Munyua
Annex 7: Testimony on HIV/AIDS by Elizabeth Atieno, Maxfacta
Annex 8: Testimony on HIV/AIDS by Caroline Sande

40
41
42
43
46

48
55
60
61
69
73
78
79

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ACP
ARDC
ATDF
ATPS
CBUD
CNN
CTA
CYMMIT
EU
GIS
GMO
HQCF
HYV
ICTs
IPGRI
KARI
KNUST
NACC
NEPAD
NARO
NEPHAK
NGOs
NIC
PORT
R&D
SMEs
SSA
S&T
ST&I
STPC
TARDA
UN
UNCST
UNICEF
VCT

Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific
Agricultural Research Development Centre
Agricultural Technology Development Forum
African Technology Policy Studies Network
Centre for Biotechnology and Utilization Development
Cable News Network
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
European Union
Geographic Information Systems
Genetically Modified Organisms
High Quality Cassava FlourHigh Yielding Varieties
Information and Communication Technologies
International Plant Genetic Resources InstituteKenya Agricultural Research Institute
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
National Aids Control Council
New Partnership for Africa’s Development
National Agricultural Research Organization
National Empowerment of People Living with AIDS in Kenya
Non Governmental Organizations
Newly Industrialized Countries
Promotion of Rural Technology
Research and Development
Small and Medium Enterprises
Sub-Saharan Africa
Science and Technology
Science, Technology and Innovation
Science and Technology Policy Council
Tana River Development Authority
United Nations
Uganda National Council for Science and Technology
United Nations Children’s Fund
Voluntary Counseling and Testing1.0 INTRODUCTION
The mission of the Technical Centre for Agricultural
and Rural Cooperation (CTA) based in the Netherlands is to strengthen information and communication management capacities of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) agricultural and rural development organizations. CTA also endeavors todevelop policy and institutional capacity and enhance science and technology (S&T) policy dialogue
in these countries. Consequently, the Center collaborated with the African Technology Policy Studies
Network (ATPS) and the National AIDS Control
Council (NACC), Kenya, to convene a meeting for
African youth representatives and leaders to reflectand discuss the creation of employment and wealth.
The mission of the ATPS is to improve human andinstitutional capacity for technology policy formulation, implementation, research, analysis, assessment,
monitoring, evaluation and dialogue. The vision of
ATPS is to become a centre of excellence andbrokerage between S&T policy researchers andimplementers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
The corporate mission of the NACC is to reduce
the escalation of HIV/AIDS infections, improve
the quality of life for the infected and affected andmitigate the socio-economic impacts of the epidemic. The objectives of the Council are to reduce
the numbers of HIV infections among vulnerable
groups and the general population; improve thetreatment and care, protection of rights and accessto effective services for the infected and affected;
and to adapt existing programmes and develop
innovative responses to reduce the impact of theepidemic on communities, social services andeconomic productivity.
The collaborative CTA/ATPS/NACC Youth
Congress and Exposition on “Youth and Employment/
Wealth Creation: Opportunities in Agriculture, Science,

Technology” and Youth Leadership in HIV/AIDS
Prevention brought together youth leaders and representatives from national, regional and international
institutions and civil society who are committed topromoting and applying agriculture and science,technology and innovation (ST&I) in meeting socialand economic development goals in Africa. The
meeting was, more specifically, aimed at educating
the youth on how to tap the potential of ST&I in
agri-food chains to create wealth and employment in
Africa. The congress benefited from the imagination,
creativity and innovativeness of youth dovetailed
with the experience, guidance and mentorship of theresource persons in seeking solutions to the persistent
challenges of employment and wealth creation in
Africa.
1.1 Congress Objectives
The overall objective of the congress and exposition
was to create awareness among the African youth onalternative employment opportunities in agriculture,science and technology and sensitize them about
strategies, which can be used to exploit such opportunities.
The specific objectives were:>
To share experiences in harnessing opportunities in agriculture, science and technology
to create employment and wealth and build
self-reliance of African youths to adopt
strategies, which can be used to identify andexploit such opportunities>
To expose the youth to practical applicationsof S&T currently used to transform agrifood production, processing and marketing
chains>
To create opportunities for peer networking
among the African youth and use it topopularize ST&I for socio-economic development in Africa, focusing on the agri-foodchainYouth and Employment/Wealth Creation>>

To expose the youth to S&T policy-making
and determine roles and opportunities for
ensuring their involvement in the process
for greater advocacy and adoption of theirconcerns
To provide a forum for peer education on
HIV/AIDS and behavioural change
amongst the youth to reduce the rates of
new infections

1.2 Expected Outcomes
The congress and exposition realized the following
outcomes:>
African youth exposed to opportunities forcreating wealth in the agricultural sector
through greater application of ST&I;>
African youth encouraged to tap existingand emerging technologies for creating
wealth and employment through exposure
to successes gained from case studies inAfrica and newly industrialized countries(NICs);>
African youth committed to promoting therelevance of ST&I in Africa’s development
and lobbying governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private
sector to support their quest to expand
opportunities for creating wealth in agriculture through greater application of ST&I;>
African youth and youth organizations
linked to existing networks, such as ATPS
and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with the aim of strengthening youth lobby groups for conducive
ST&I policies and support programmes
promoting ST&I for socio-economic
development in Africa, which benefit youth;>
African youth forming a cadre of youth
leaders who can act as peer educators,
advocates and grassroots champions for2>

better control and management of HIV/
AIDS; andA workshop communiqué capturing key
resolutions for dissemination through themedia in Africa and submission to therelevant government agencies and representatives of the international community.

1.3
Attendance
The conference attracted over 70 participants from
Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya,
Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
These participants represented:>
Scientific research institutions>
Public and private universities>
Government departments and ministries>
Private companies>
Non-governmental organizations>
Youth organizations (e.g. the African Youth
Parliament)>International organizations
Resource persons were also drawn from the various
sectors listed above. Participants were selected basedon gender balance, demonstrated leadership roles
and to reflect diversity of stakeholders in agriculture,science and technology.
1.4
Delivery methodology
The main delivery methodology emphasized interactive learning and experiential sharing involving thefollowing:>
Essay competition (pre-runner to themeeting)>
Plenary session papers>
Questions and discussions>
Working groups>
Field trip

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

COMMUNIQUE OF THE AFRICAN REGIONAL YOUTHCONGRESS AND EXPOSITION ON YOUTH EMPLOYMENT/WEALTH CREATION
Youth leaders from national research institutions, universities and non governmental organizations (NGOs)
from 21 countries in Africa met in Nairobi, Kenya from June 20-23, 2005 to deliberate on strategies fortapping the potential of science, technology and innovation (ST&I) in agri-food chains to create wealthand employment for youths in Africa. The youth leaders also addressed the issue of HIV/AIDS prevention and management and identified strategies, which they could share with their communities to stop the
spread of this disease.
1. The youth identified major challenges, which are preventing them from achieving their full potential asfollows:
A. POLITICAL>
political instability, conflict and tribal clashes, which limit availability of resources andinvestmentsdestroy and restrict opportunities for the youth;>lack of political commitment resulting in lack of policies for the youth and limited budgetarycommitment;>
lack of youth participation or involvement in governance, which limits their voice in formulating
and implementing policies, which could benefit them; and>corruption, which limits the availability of resources for sustainable programmes and also restricts
the youth’s access to education, jobs and ability to create wealth.
B. EDUCATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE>
high illiteracy and limited opportunities for educating youth at all levels: primary
secondary and tertiary;>high cost of training and limited opportunities for industrial attachments;>
outdated curriculum and emphasis on theory without adequately providing practical experience;>
limited use of ICTs and lack of policies, which could improve access and affordability of
information;>
inadequate educational facilities including ICT infrastructure, libraries, books computers andInternet access, which restricts access to up to date and relevant information; and>lengthy and costly process for obtaining postgraduate degrees and lack of recognition of importance of research and development for socio-economic development.
C.
>
>
>

FINANCIAL
inadequate financial resources to support training and skills development;
limited availability of start-up capital to support young entrepreneurs; andlimited investments by government and the private sector in the youth.

D.
>

SOCIO CULTURAL
Attitude of youth, in general, needs to change so that they become more self-reliant, more serious
and more forward thinking;Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation>lack of confidence in youth because society does not value the potential of the youth and judge
them by age and appearance;>lack of mentors to provide guidance and support; and>traditional and religious practices, beliefs and norms, which reinforce gender imbalance andrestrict adoption of modern ideas and technologies threatening traditional practices.
2. The youths further identified the challenges, which are preventing Africa from using ST&I for creating
employment as follows:
A. POLITICAL, PUBLIC AND INSTITUTIONAL>
Lack of policies and limited institutional framework to ST&I
B. EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE>
Limited access to education and lack of investments in developing a knowledge society
C. INFRASTRUCTURE>
outdated and poorly equipped schools, universities and research facilities, and national industrial
plants;>unreliable communication and transport networks including telecommunications, roads, ports andairports;>
financial and socio economic problems, which cause governments to focus on short term measures as opposed to investing in ST&I as a strategy for development.
3. The youth identified several factors, which are preventing them from participating in the S&T policy
making process as follows:>lack of information, exposure and expertise;>inability to participate in government because of age restrictions;>culture and tradition;>
bureaucracy and political problems;>
inadequate networking and linkages, which restrict ability to form platforms for lobbying government and other agencies; and>low priority given by African governmentand related institutions to S&T.
4. The youth noted that the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa is preventing them from realizing their fullpotential. This disease has led to:>job stigmatization and discrimination;>
job insecurity and exploitation and low productivity;>
loss of hope, opportunity and ambition and a rise in the population of orphans; and>loss of youth as they must take on adult responsibilities.
They further noted that the situation is aggravated because of the high health care cost and the limited
resource allocation by ministries of health and youth to support programmes, which target prevention andmanagement of HIV/AIDS among youth.

4

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation

5. The youth agreed that greater application of ST&I can lead to improvements in agriculture, job opportunities, wealth creation and the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS. The participants recognized
the need to empower the youth to participate in the S&T policy making, formulating policies, which affectthe youth and facilitate their contribution to the HIV/AIDS campaign.
The following measures were recommended:>
restore the confidence and morale of African youth;>build capacity through training and orientation seminars;>
encourage and support representation of youth in government;>
build and support youth networks and capacity to lobby;>
strengthen linkages between institutions of higher learning, employers and industry to modernize
the curriculum at all levels of school, college and university levels;>
reorient African youth to the new realities for competing in globalized markets; and>use student bodies constructively to actively participate in the process of change, curriculum
development, university/industry partnerships and strengthening the interface between government and youth.
6. The youth recognized that they would need support in achieving their full potential and recommended
that:>International, regional and national organizations and NGO’s should help to empower youth andencourage them to participate in decision making.
>Governments should implement policies and enact relevant legislation to facilitate
greater application of ST&I for socio-economic development and wealth creation and support
African youth in achieving their full potential.
>
Institutions of higher learning should play a major role in sensitizing governments and youth andin providing a platform for supporting youths in getting their voices heard.
>
Religious organizations should support the empowerment of African youths and help to boost
their morale.
>
The media should be approached to focus on the plight of youth in Africa and the need toaggressively arrest the spread of HIV/AIDS among them. The media also need to raise awarenessof the need for Africa to emphasize ST&I for socio-economic development and wealth creationand turning around the situation of the youth.
7. The youth recognized that they have an important responsibility and role to play in advancing ST&I andpreventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa and committed themselves to:>
becoming advocates of change;>building alliances at national level and with national, regional and international organizations tochampion the cause of the youth; and>changing attitudes, becoming self reliant and encouraging fellow youth to seek information andknowledge and develop skills to transform the lives of youth in Africa.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

52.0 DAY ONE: 20 June, 2005
Session one
Opening Ceremony
Chair of the Session, Alex Gacuhi, National Coordinator, ATPS Kenya Chapter

2.1 Welcome remarks, Maurice Bolo, Research
Officer, ATPSMr Maurice Bolo, Research Officer, ATPS, andconference organizer welcomed the participants tothe conference, indicating that the meeting was aculmination of a multi-stage process, which was
purposely designed to enlarge the scope of
stakeholders’ involvement in mapping out strategies
to address unemployment and wealth creation
among the youth in Africa through science,technology and innovation (ST&I).
Mr Bolo explained the events leading to theconference beginning with the essay competition on
the topic, Tapping the Potential of Agriculture,
Science and Technology in Agri-food Chains in
Africa – Creating Employment and Wealth for
the Youth. The essay competition, said Mr Bolo,was followed by a consultative youth meeting in
Nairobi in April 2005, which brought together
youth representatives and professionals from six
different countries in Africa to brainstorm on thetheme and focus of the congress and exposition; theconference was largely a product of theconsultation.

In his address, Mr Bolo highlighted the potential of
agriculture, science and technology to transform
Africa from an agro-based economy to an industrial
and knowledge-based one, as was the case in theindustrialized nations, and more recently, the newly
industrialized economies (NICs). However, hewondered why it has not yet worked for Africa. He
suggested that the issue be addressed from adifferent perspective by tapping into the creativity
and innovativeness of the youth. “The success of
this new perspective requires curiosity, creativity andimagination; it requires us to build consensus andmomentum on issues and policies, which affect us
most and embark on a vigourous marketing
campaign to sell our ideas, first to our peers, andthen to the political leadership,” he elaborated. Mr
Bolo also added that the youth represent agents,
beneficiaries and victims of technologicaldevelopment, socio-economic and political changes,
which determine their livelihoods in this century andbeyond.
Mr Bolo identified two critical challenges facing theyouth today as unemployment and HIV/AIDS. He
stressed that in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), themajority of the population live in rural areas where
agriculture is the economic mainstay, yetinfrastructure is dilapidated and information scarce.
Mr Bolo lamented that this situation confines a large
segment of the African population, especially the
productive youth, to under-employment andidleness.
Mr Bolo also highlighted HIV/AIDS prevalence
among the youth in Africa, Caribbean and theYouth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Pacific (ACP) indicating that incidences are higher
than in any other areas of the world. “It is estimatedthat each day, some 6000 youth, globally, areinfected with the HIV/AIDS virus, and that every
14 seconds, one other young person joins the list,”
he explained. He pointed out that there is aconnection between unemployment, social exclusionand HIV/AIDS prevalence, making the youth
vulnerable to the scourge.
Addressing the importance of youth participation inpolicy making, Mr Bolo said that the youth
constitute about half of the total population of theworld, and demographic estimates in Africa indicatethat 50% of the population is below 18 years old,
representing 16% of youth globally, yet theircontribution is ignored. “Quite often, the experts
assume that they know what our problems are andthey go ahead to prescribe solutions based on
incomplete understanding of the challenges facing
the youth,” he bemoaned. He indicated that suchactions relegate the youth to, “ an untappedresource, pushed to the margin of public life in spiteof their numerical strength.” Mr Bolo urged leaders
to recognize the potential of the youth in addressing
issues, which affect Africa’s development.
Mr Bolo concluded that the congress intends toaddress these issues, among others, and record
innovative suggestions on how best the intellect,creativity and energy of the African youth can betapped and channelled to productive economic
development.
He thanked the management of CTA and ATPS,
Ms Judith Francis and Dr Osita Ogbu for theircontribution towards securing the future of the
youth through the congress and exposition.

2.2 Remarks, Judith Ann Francis, Senior
Programme Coordinator, Technical Centre
for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
ACP-EC (CTA), the Netherlands
Ms Judith Ann Francis, in her opening speech, said
that she was proud and encouraged to speak after
Maurice Bolo because the consultative meeting andthe congress were innovations, which put the youth
in charge of the preparation of the meeting. On
behalf of the CTA Director, Dr Hansjorg Neun,the management and staff of CTA, she signaled
that the centre had high expectations of the Africanwide regional youth congress and exposition on,
Youth Employment/Wealth Creation:
Opportunities in Agriculture, Science andTechnology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention. Ms Francis conveyed regrets
from Dr Nuen, for not being able to join the youth
because he was attending the 81st Session of ACP
Council of Ministers and the 30th session of ACPEC Council of Ministers in Brussels andLuxembourg. However, he wished the participants
successful outcomes from the congress. She further
reaffirmed CTA’s commitment to the developmentof agriculture in the rural areas of Africa, Caribbean
and Pacific (ACP) countries through science,technology and innovation (ST&I). She indicatedthat the youth congress was important because it
brought together a wide group of stakeholders toOpportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

7Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
advance the ST&I policy dialogue and the role,
which the critical elements could play, not only onsocio-economic development, but turning aroundprospects for the youth who may be feelingmarginalized in a continent, which is endowed withvast resources.
Referringtothesong,Rise Up Africa, which wassang by primary school children to welcome them
to a meeting organized by the Forum for
Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in Uganda,
Ms Francis said that the emphasis was, agriculture, if
properly practiced using S&T can help Africa toachieve its food security goals and economic
development. Consequently, the congress andexposition provided an opportunity for African
youth, young scientists, youth leaders and otherprofessional youth to rise up and take a leadershiprole in ensuring that greater emphasis and action aretaken to turn around the economic situation of
Africa through greater application of ST&I.
She noted that the congress was the second regional
S&T meeting, which CTA was co-hosting with
ATPS in Africa and for Africa, since launching its
Science and Technology Strategy Programme in2003. The first meeting was entitled, Enhancing
the Science and Technology Policy Dialogue –Innovation for Development. At that first meeting
CTA was mandated to tell the UN Task Force on
Science and Technology 10 to give greater emphasis totertiary education in agriculture when finalizing theirmillennium report on S&T. Ms Francis revealed that
this was done through direct communication with
Prof Calestous Juma based in Harvard
University,who was the lead author of the report.
Ms Francis quoted from an article dated June 17 on
the topic, We Need to Re-invent African Universities, byProf Juma where he argued that Africa’s
developmental challenges required that African
universities change the way they operate and8

become developmental universities. He further
advised that these and other institutions are key
players in domesticating knowledge and diffusing it
into economies.
Ms Francis informed the audience that Prof Juma
was not the only distinguished African who wasleading this call. Dr Monty Jones, anotherdistinguished African from Sierra Leone, theExecutive Secretary of FARA and the co-winner ofthe 2004 World Food Prize was working withnational, regional and international organizations toensure that Africa harnesses ST&I to transform
agriculture for improved livelihoods anddevelopment in Africa. She told the participants thatDr Jones had developed the NERICA rice, which
was transforming how rice is grown in Africa andthe innovation was already contributing to increasing
rural incomes and achieving food security.
Ms Francis announced that CTA was pleased to be
associated with these efforts and in having played arole in bringing top policy makers, scientists andengineers, farmers and other entrepreneurs,
education experts and other interest groups todeliberate on ST&I issues, which could set a stage inensuring greater involvement of the youth inrealizing their potential. She also said that the seed
for the CTA Programme on Science andTechnology had been planted in Cape Town in2002 when the ACP ministers for science andtechnology met at the ACP Forum on Research
for Sustainable development and made several
commitments. These undertaking included
providing political leadership leading to policies,
which place research at the fore-front ofdevelopment; increasing current budgetary allocation
for research; achieving a minimum investment of
1% of Gross Domestic Product, per annum, over a
period of ten years; promoting, popularizing andutilizing S&T; advocating and supporting the Cape

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Town Declaration and Plan of Action at national,
regional and international levels. They also requested
that the ACP states, ACP General Secretariat and thejoint ACP/EU institutions, such as CTA, in
collaboration with all relevant national, regional andmulti-lateral development partners and financeinstitutions support the Cape Town Declaration andparticipate in implementing the Plan of Action.
Ms Francis reiterated that the youth congress was yet
another example of the centre achieving its
mandate. She said that donors and otherdevelopmental agencies were also focusing on
harnessing ST&I for economic development andincreasing competitiveness, indicating that the center
is making the necessary budgetary commitments andthe EU has already done so. She informed themeeting that CTA’s other programmes cut acrossthe information and communication divide tosupport Africa and other ACP countries to moveagriculture foreword. She added that the center
focuses on youth, women and HIV/AIDS as
crosscutting issues and encouraged the participants
to tap their strength in influencing similarorganizations.
Ms Francis also declared that CTA was not alone in
making the strident call for African stakeholders andpolicy makers to formulate or update, where
necessary, and implement sound ST&I policies,
which become the foundation for achieving
economic and social development, recognizing that
agriculture and rural development underpin
economic and social development and cannot be
separated from the process.
She affirmed that CTA was grateful for theopportunity to collaborate with ATPS in co-hosting
the regional Youth Employment/WealthCreation: Opportunities in Agriculture, Scienceand Technology and Youth Leadership for

HIV/AIDS Prevention for dynamizing the youthin Africa to take charge of their own destiny andadopt ST&I strategies to transform their lives, theircommunities and their countries. She concluded thatthe center anticipated that participants will be
encouraged by the deliberations and reaffirmed
CTA’s continued support to implementing therecommendations emanating from the meeting.

2.3 Summary of opening remarks, Dr Osita
Ogbu, Executive Director, the African
Technology Policy Studies Network(ATPS)Dr Osita Ogbu welcomed all the participants to
Nairobi and reminded the youth that they wereprivileged to attend the important and significant
meeting because they had been chosen to represent
certain constituencies. He told them that they wereattending the meeting to acquire knowledge to use
to inform and “indoctrinate” others from theircommunities. “You are here as a youth leader toacquire knowledge and use it for the purpose of
educating others,” he stressed.
Dr Ogbu reminded the youth that they are always
referred to as leaders of tomorrow. However, he
was not sure if they were trained and equippedenough, as future leaders, to deal with the complexities of social and economic issues. He addedthat the youth had convened in Nairobi to be agents

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

9Youth and Employment/Wealth Creationof change and harbingers of knowledge on scienceand technology (S&T). He urged them to ask theirleaders, through their various pronouncements asstudent, business leaders or other, to recognize theimportance of S&T in economic development andwealth creation. He advised them that rather than ask
for money, they should ask for knowledge and ideas
because money cannot actually develop a country as
such, but ideas can. “If we can translate money into
ideas then we will be able to liberate the continent,”
said Dr Ogbu.
Dr Ogbu observed that there is a large populationof young people who attend universities but are not
employed on completing their studies. He also notedthat the numbers of universities, in Africa, had
multiplied but the economies had not expanded
commensurately to absorb the graduates. “Thequality of education in universities has also declined,
affecting the employability of the youth,” he said. He
urged the participants to look for ingenious ways toimprove their capacities beyond what they havelearned in the various universities and also expressed
his belief that the youth could create their own jobs.
The ATPS Executive Director cautioned the participants that the main intention of the meeting was forthe youth to find solutions to the impediments,
which affect them and not to give reasons/excuses
why things are not working for them. He gave theexample of the use of cassava in Nigeria, saying thatthe tuber has become a product of choice because
developed countries in Europe have discovered its
efficacy as an alternative animal feed to substitutefor feeds associated with the mad cow disease.
Because of the popularity of cassava, Nigeria has
become the leading exporter of cassava in the world
and production of the crop has increased in the
country. Dr Ogbu also pointed out an element of
S&T in cassava production by illustrating that thepresident of Nigeria ordered that 10% of the flour
10

ingredient of baked bread should be derived fromcassava because the taste is the same as that of wheat
flour.
Dr Ogbu reproached the youth for perceiving
agriculture as “something dirty that we cannot
touch” because of the misconception that an officejob is better. He pointed out that with the rightknowledge, experience and exposure, many young
people can embrace farming and make an honest
living from it. He hoped that young people would
look at issues of agriculture and agricultural production differently and find the profession more attractive after the congress.
On HIV/AIDS, Dr Ogbu cited statistics showingthat the youth are more affected by the pandemic.
He was surprised that in spite of the knowledge
among young people of the dangers of the scourge
the prevalence remained high. “Something is not
right because practices and behaviour have notchanged,” he decried. He told the participants thatduring the congress more knowledge on HIV/AIDS would be imparted to them so that they inturn would become peer educators. He also said thatin the past, HIV/AIDS messages have targeted theolder adults but the idea to educate the youth,
sensitize them and equip them with knowledge
about the virus and send them back to champion thecourse at work and in schools had become more
appealing. He said that the youth would be equipped
to become avenues of behavioural change to save
lives.
About ATPS, the Executive Director indicated that
the Network exists in 23 African countries andurged participants to look for the Chapter officesback home because it would be good to be associated with their activities. He also revealed that ATPS
has been in the forefront of training members ofparliament and journalists from various African

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
countries, and advising cabinet ministers of scienceand technology on relevant policy issues. He pointed
out that ATPS provides small grants for scientists to
conduct research on areas of S&T, which are
relevant to country needs. He summarized the workof ATPS as, “a Network mandated by Africa tochampion the course of S&T.”
Dr Ogbu lauded the partnership between ATPS andCTA saying that the youth congress was the third
activity, which the two institutions organized. Referring to CTA as a like-minded institution with ATPShe said that he was particularly happy with the joint
efforts, collaboration and continuing support inorganizing the youth congress, a meeting, which
would allow the youth to make contact with theircompatriots from other countries. He promised that
networking and knowledge sharing would continue
among the participants beyond the congress.
In conclusion, he said that the message on therelevance of ST&I to development was evangelicalbecause the youth would be converted to convert
others, in turn, so that the message is progressive andbears fruits. Dr Ogbu also promised that a monitoring and evaluation system would be put in place toensure value for money.

Session two
2.4 Overview of Essay Competition and
Presentation of Awards
As a run-up to the youth congress and exposition,
ATPS and CTA announced an essay competition on
the subject, Tapping the Potential of Science,
Technology and Innovation in Agri-food Chainsin Africa – Creating Employment and Wealthfor Youths in Africa. Youth in sub-Saharan Africa(SSA) aged between 18 and 30 years were eligible tocompete. The essays were expected to address thefollowing themes:>
identifying the critical obstacles facing theyouth in the quest for employment andwealth creation in Africa;>
exploring how agriculture, science, technology and innovation (ST&I) can be employed
to overcome these obstacles; and>giving practical proposals/suggestions on
how to tap the potential of agriculture,science, technology and innovation in agrifood chains in Africa.
The essay competition was advertised on CTA,ATPS and the Agricultural Technology Development Forum (ATDF) websites. Forty-eight (48)essays were received at the ATPS Secretariat and thefollowing judges appointed to evaluate them:>
Mr Otula Owuor, Communications
Consultant, Biosafety News>
Ms Elizabeth Obel-Lawson, Scientific
Assistant, the International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute (IPGRI), Nairobi>
Mr Charles Nyiro, Communications
Consultant, World Agro-forestry Centre
The panel of judges appointed Mr Otula Owuor as
the Chief Judge and he made a few remarks before
announcing the winners. Mr Owuor said that they
followed the set guidelines indicating that the essays
were expected to have approximately 1500 words
and should be based on personal experiences increating employment opportunities using ST&I in
agriculture. The essays were evaluated on content,
grammar, flow and credibility to show how muchresearch was done. Most essays, according to Mr
Owuor, were well written presenting correct spellingand punctuation, and use of tenses and vocabulary.
He commended the good work and the wealth ofideas generated through the essays, saying that if
these could be implemented then the continent
would have a bright future. He joked that heOpportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

11Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
belonged to a generation, which believed thatstudying in developed countries would make one
successful. However, it has now been proven that
Africa’s success lies within Africa. “We are realizingthat we have to pull ourselves with our own bootstrings,” he stressed.
Mr Owuor was saddened that in Agriculture, Africa
is still forced to seek for food aid when there is local
potential to feed the continent. He encouraged theyouth to be more involved in agriculture and ST&I
issues to improve economic development in Africa.
Ms Elizabeth Obel-Lawson, Dr Osita Ogbu and Ms
Judith Ann Francis presided over the award-giving
ceremony. The winners are listed below:>
The winner: Winnie Alum,
Research Assistant, National Agricultural
Research Organization (NARO), Uganda>
Runner-up (second position): Christine
Ndunge Muthoka, Student, Departmentof Range Management, University of
Nairobi>Second runner-up: Philip Mutuma
Munyua, Research Assistant, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)>
Fourth position: William Avoxe Kodjo,
Agricultural Engineering Department,
KNUST, Ghana>
Fifth position: George Kanthithi
Chitzede, Agricultural Research Station,
MalawiThe winners received the following awards:>
cash prizes and certificates;>
sponsorship to attend the ATPS/CTA
youth congress; and>publishing of the essays on the CTA/ATPS
websites and other publications

12

2.4.1 Presentation of the top three essays
A. Philip Mutuma Munyua, Research
Assistant, Kenya Agricultural ResearchInstitute (KARI), (Second runner-up)
Philip Mutua Munyua defined an African youth as “ayoung man or female aged between 18-35 years,
who has modest to formal education, a winningpersonality with great potential of turning aroundevery quagmire into potential havens of opportunities.”
He identified the challenges, which face the youth asinability to access very basic necessities, such as cleanwater, productive soils and proper health care andeducation. He stated that these challenges could benarrowed down and linked to lack of productive
soils and capital, which are essential for leading adignified life, being healthy and achieving economic
development. Mr Munyua stressed that productive
soils are the basis for alleviating poverty, overarchingof all major challenges.
To achieve sustainable development and alleviate
poverty, he suggested the following procedures in
implementing any agri-food project:>
proper planning;>setting up good systems;>
mutual accountability by all stakeholders;and>setting up efficient financial mechanisms.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Mr Munyua discussed the activities of the Kithoka
Passions Fruit Project in Meru Central and Embu
districts in Kenya, which used ST&I to tap the
potential of the fruits in the area to benefit the local
population. He gave examples of beneficiaries ofthe project, which used the increased earnings to
support families. He also announced plans to introduce another unexploited plant, the amaranth, which
has great demand and can contribute, locally, toimproving the livelihoods of most rural farmers
who have adequate water for irrigation and goodknowledge of crop husbandry. Amaranth seeds areused for making cereals, flour and popcorns. The
leaves are used as vegetables for local consumption.
He concluded that quantifiable outputs, namely,
increased jobs and wealth can be created for the
many youth in Africa and the negative attitude aboutcertain jobs refuted through greater investments in
ST&I.

B. Christine Ndunge Muthoka, Department of Range Management, University of
Nairobi (runner-up)
Christine Muthoka introduced the profound socioeconomic and political problems, which challenge
Africa, and specifically sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
These include:>
unemployment;>
food insecurity;>
disruptive conflicts;

>
>
>
>
>

high population growth;slow economic growth rate;soil degradation deforestation;
health challenges, such as the HIV/AIDS
pandemic; andhigh levels of illiteracy.

She indicated that ST&I are interlinked, adding that
economists have identified technical progress as the
single most important determining factor forachieving sustainable growth in the region. She also
added that developed countries are viewed asprogressive because of the advances they have madein scientific research and technological development
in agriculture, natural resource management, medicine, engineering and electronics and informationand communication technologies (ICT)Ms Muthoka highlighted the importance of agriculture to economic development based on the following factors:>
It is the basic engine of economic growth.
>
It provides staple foods.
>
It generates employment.
She indicated that in spite of the importance ofagriculture to economic development in Africa,
most government pronouncements ignore economic
policy and support to the sector. Ms Muthoka said
that review of the agricultural sector in the last
decade shows that the sub-Saharan region has been
facing the following challenges:>
lack of clear economic policy support or
guidance;>
perpetual staple food deficit;>
dependency on imported foods;>
uneven balance of trade in favour ofdeveloping countries; and>scarcity of foreign exchange for trading.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

13Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Ms Muthoka discussed the case of Southeast Asian
countries, including Taiwan and Singapore, whichhave been propelled by advances in S&T resulting inindustrial growth, improved food security andincreased employment opportunities. This, however,has not been adopted by the SSA countries, in spiteof the obvious importance of agricultural development and growth to these countries. She suggested
improving household food security and raising rural
incomes as imperatives for overall economic andsocial development in SSA.
She identified several factors attributed to lack of
employment opportunities and limiting people’s
potential for creating wealth in Africa, including:>high rate of population growth, which is
not corresponding to the rate of economic
development;>
poorly developed markets and marketing
infrastructure;>
inadequate post harvest handling andprocessing facilities resulting in high wastageof perishable produce;>
poor infrastructure in rural areas causing theyouth to migrate to urban centres to search
for non-existing jobs;>
migration of intellectuals to developed
countries and more advanced economies
leading to brain-drain;>ineffective education system;>lack of self-employment opportunities inrural areas; and>poor political leadership and governance.
The presenter offered the following solutions intapping agriculture, science and technology to create
wealth and employment opportunities:>
initiating an effective education system inagriculture and natural resource management
and linking education to social and economic
needs of the people; focus should also be
14

>

>
>

>

on developing and adding value to entrepreneurial skills;
developing and disseminating emerging
technologies, such as ICTs and biotechnology, by researchers, to increase agricultural
production and introduce sound resource
management;
encouraging labour intensive investments tocreate employment;
initiating sustainable and appropriate
development projects, which are supportedby the stakeholders; andgovernment translating politicalpronouncements to commitment to agricultural development by providing resources
and creating enabling environment throughrelevant policies.

C. Winnie Alum, Research Assistant, National Agricultural Research Organization,
Bulindi Agricultural Research and Development Centre (ARDC), Uganda, Winner
Winnie Alum defined the youth as persons aged
between 18 and 30 years. She added that children
and youth constitute more than 50% of the population of Africa and the proportion continues to growgiven the early mortality of the adult population due
to the HIV/AIDS scourge. She also cited the highunemployment figures among the youth at 74
million globally, according to the current
International Labour organization (ILO) figures,

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
representing two-fifths of all unemployed persons
globally.
The presenter stated that the age structure of the
population and the quality of the labour force are
the determinants in the path to economic growthand development, yet young people are two or threetimes more likely, than adults, to be unemployed andthe gravity of the situation is understated in mostdocuments on demography. Of the young people
who are employed, many are required to work forlong hours, for low pay, often in the informal
economy.
Ms Alum indicated that the youth in Africa areworking tirelessly to come out of the chronic
poverty in which they live but there are criticalobstacles hindering success in the struggle for
employment and creation of wealth, including:>
subsistence system of agricultural production with nothing left to generate income;>low level of education, which denies the
youth the competitive edge to secure employment or become entrepreneurs;>
negative attitudes towards certain kinds ofjobs leaving many young people roaming
the streets in search of white collar jobs;>
low level of soil fertility of the agriculturallands;>
ignorance on modern agricultural practices;>lack of timely and reliable information
about available jobs;>
job insecurity;>
low pay/salaries;>
corruption;>
political insecurity;>
sexual harassment; and>insecure working conditions.
She discussed different ways, which the Bulindi
Agricultural Research Development Centre (ARDC),

one of the twelve research centres under the National Agricultural Research Organizations (NARO),
has used to create employment for the rural communities and enhanced food security in Uganda. The
presenter outlined the steps the research centre
followed, including:>group identification and selection to allow
promotion of innovation through a focusedgroup of people who share some common
objectives;>
identifying an experimental design for
selected food crops, for trial on different
soil types using the same treatments;>
incorporating indigenous technical knowledge into agricultural production throughparticipatory market research and selectionof an income generating enterprise;>building the capacity of the groups byoffering training on group strengthening,soil fertility management, marketing skills,
record keeping and cross-cutting issues, suchas HIV/AIDS and management of theenvironment;>
popularizing agricultural technologies
through the media to advertise newly
released technologies by outlining their
attributes;>
commercializing agricultural produce, suchas high-yielding varieties, which produce
surplus for the market;>
linking farmers to service providers, such as
micro-finance institutions, seed companies
and other agricultural input providers;>
identifying researchable issues; and>encouraging innovations.
Ms Alum concluded that there is no area in Africa’s
development, which is not affecting the youth.
Attention and policies, therefore, must be directed toactivities and innovations, which can create employment for the youth and promote food security incommunities

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15Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation

Session three
Focus on Agriculture, Science andTechnology Innovation for Employment and Wealth Creation
Chair: Ndolo Asasa, Programme Officer,
Youth Agenda, Kenya

2.5 Keynote presentation: The role of science, technology and innovation in wealthand employment creation: The prospects
and challenges of the youth in Africa, byDr
Kevit Desai, Centurion Systems Ltd,
Nairobi, Kenya
Dr Kevit Desai introduced his presentation bystating that while Japan and America are seen as thegiants of inventions, Africa is looked upon as acontinent of consumers — not innovators. He
wondered whether there is anything inherently
deficient about Africa that its people cannot
produce inventions or technological innovations.
Dr Desai pointed out that most revolutionary
inventions started as models or imitations of the realthing, but the spark of invention is rarely nurtured in
Africa. Nevertheless, Desai advised that budding
talents should be encouraged because technology
can be the engine behind development, and wealthcreation, raising people out of poverty. Giving
examples of Japan and China, he explained that two

16

decades ago these countries were seen as
manufacturers of substandard goods but over theyears, skills and standards in these nations havedeveloped. “Now when you buy the latest digital
camera, it is more likely to be manufactured in
China, than it is Europe,” he said. He added that,“the jobs — the money — is flowing inexorably
to the Far East — allowing the Chinese government
to educate its people, and spread the wealth to thepoorest corners of the land.”He reiterated that all the great nations of the world
have built their empires on the back of invention,saying that in Britain, the industrial revolution
preceded the era of colonialism, and in America, themost powerful nation, homage is paid to inventors.
Dr Desai explained that on the contrary, Africa has
had mixed experiences with attempts to use
technology indicating that in the immediate postindependence era, the rush was to build factories,“to make us self-sufficient, to provide ourselveswith goods, clothes, cars, like those made in theWest.” He was saddened that the approach failed,
not because trying to establish such a manufacturingbase was in itself a bad idea but because it took
place in the context of poor government policies,
protectionism, which failed to make industries
competitive, a low skills base and inability to evolve
the technology to suit local conditions. He addedthat the failure has left a debilitating legacy, whichmakes most African countries feel alienated fromtechnology. “We feel so far behind the rest of theworld that we’ve almost given up the ability to thinkcreatively about how to use science and technology,”
he explained.
Dr Desai suggested that key among solutions tothese problems is encouraging young people byintroducing technical education early in their lives,preferably at primary school. He stressed that
universities, in Kenya, should concentrate on general

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
courses and leave specialized technical courses totraining centers with modern facilities and state of
the art equipment. In addition, he recommended
that industry should employ engineers who havestudied the latest trends in new technology at
technical institutions.
Dr Desai observed that Kenya must wake up to thechallenge of appropriate technical education if thecountry hopes to achieve the national goal ofindustrialization by 2020. However, he warned that
it would require the involvement of the top levels
of industrial management working with universities
and polytechnics. “Companies must see technicaltraining as a necessity and not a luxury and establish
a strong link with high level academics,” hecautioned. He also informed the meeting thatcurrently engineering is not valued as a profession
and students who embark upon it end up working
as accountants or bankers not for lack ofenthusiasm but because of their maths skill. He
spoke of an annual exhibition organized by
Centurion Systems, an engineering company, which
offers a chance for East African students to show
their invention to the public. The students arerecognized and praised for their work. However,according to Dr Desai, they are yet to move to thenext stage of turning a prototype into acommercially viable product.
In addition to lack of encouragement, Dr Desaisaid that job opportunities are equally lacking and heregretted that given the continent’s need forengineering solutions, only a few young people
found jobs in their chosen fields. He pointed outthat part of the problem lies in the training deliveredby the institutions. “Too often our universities arepoorly equipped, and have an academic, rather thana practical approach to engineering. Company
bosses often complain about graduates’ capabilities

because their new employees are unable to perform
well in a competitive environment,” explained Dr
Desai.
Dr Desai informed the participants that there are
structural problems, which affect industry because
only few companies in Africa are ran by engineers
or involve them at top level. He warned thatsidelining engineering expertise could have a real
impact on productivity and suggested a practical,
cost effective approach by solving the problems
locally and adopting technologies, which suitindigenous needs.
In conclusion Dr Desai urged the participants to
network as a region and swap ideas and experiences
about problems encountered and problems solved.
“If we overhaul technical education, build on our
successes, and learn from our failures, collectively,
then we have a better chance of creating the kind ofwealth needed to ensure the livelihoods of the next
generation, where science and technology plays acentral part,” he advised.
Dr Desai informed participants that Centurion
Systems had introduced in the market a bicycle
mounted device that would help provide digitalcommunication for the rural folk. The device
enables smallholder farmers to communicate withlocal and international agricultural advisory service
providers and suppliers of products. The bicycle
mounted power source hopes to take electricity forcommunications to rural homesteads and savepeople the agony of traveling long distances tocharge laptops and mobile phones.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

17Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
3.1.2 Questions/discussions/comments
Q. Why the bicycle?
A: The bicycle is one of the most affordable andeasy mode of transportation in African because it iseasy to use, needs no fuel, and can be used in places
with little or no road, for example, a foot path,
which is common in most African villages.

A: The youth have to believe in their abilities and notgive up. Young and talented scientists must takeadvantage of all opportunities, which arise andabove all, work hard and show commitment towhatever tasks they take up.

Q. Africa boasts of a lot of sunshine; why has solar energy
not been used to improve agriculture for food production andalso as alternative source of energy because the continent does
not depend wholly on electricity for energy production?
A: The technology we have in Africa was developedby the west according to their needs. It is up to us
African to come up with alternative energy sources
rather than continuing to depend on what we
inherited from the colonial era. This is why we must
all take up the development of science and technology to improve our countries.
Question/comment: It is difficult to persuade African
governments to invest in science and technology, more so when
you are young. It is difficult to raise funds for such projects andalso to convince donors and other concerned parties that you
have developed a product, for example, software, which can beused in schools, police station and hospitals.
A: Most development and technology ideologies arefrom the west and governments may show little
interest in what African scientists have to offer.
Africans and African governments believe that alltechnology from the West is best and prefer toadopt them to what a local scientist has developed.
Q: Why is the private sector fearful of adopting innovations
by the youth?

18

2.6 Keynote address: Information communication technologies (ICTs): Opening new
frontiers for youth in Africa, by Titilayo
Olujumoke Akinsanmi, Programme Manager, Global Teenager Project,
Johannesburg, South Africa
Titalayo Akinsanmi, in her speech, advocated for the
youth to stand up and make a difference wherever
they are. Giving a personal example, she said that
Nigeria is a huge nation comprising 120 million
people, based on available statistics two years ago.
As a graduate of Arts in English and French, she
was not sure of the kind of contribution and impact
she could make but she realized that there was agroup of young people who were determined tocreate a paradigm shift. The group did not have any
political connections or resources to do much but
they recognized that they could change the way
people think by sharing ideas.
She added that although it may be difficult for her
voice to be heard in a population of 120 million
people, she could achieve much by talking to people
on a one to one basis, and then all Nigerians, then on
a global scale. She encouraged the youth that theOpportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
current brain drain could be used to the nations’advantage through networking.
Ms Akinsanmi reminded the participants that they
are more advantaged than their parents because they
have had the opportunity of acquiring decent
education. Since the parents were educated, it isnatural for them to want to educate their children up
to university level. However, there are not enoughemployment opportunities for all those who havegone to school.

Session four
Focus: Agriculture, Science Technology and Innovation for Employment and Wealth Creation/Modern
and Indigenous technologies
Chair: Mrs BL Tientcheu Djike, AssistantResearcher, Nkolbission Regional Center,
Institute of Research Agriculture for Development (IRAD), Cameroon

Akinsanmi also encouraged the youth not to beafraid to point out the mistakes of the governmentsin their respective countries. She also challenged thedonors to fund projects, which can be sustained
after the funding period is over. She urged the youth
to question donors without fearing that they stand tolose funding for future projects. This would contribute to identifying problems and seeking solutions.
Akinsanmi raised other issues including sexual
harassment and the spread of the HIV/AIDS
scourge. She concluded that the youth cannot makeeveryone conform to their ideas but as young
people, they can try and conform to the right ideas.

2.7 Value addition to agri-produce, anavenue for employment/wealth creation in
Africa, by Francis Kweku Amagloh, Teaching and Research Assistant, Kwame
Nkurumah University of Science andTechnology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
Mr Amagloh discussed under-utilization of agriproduce in many African countries. Agri-produce
describes products derived from cultivating crops
and rearing animals. He indicated that in Africa, agriproduce caters for local consumption and transforming the produce from its raw form to a statethat can be consumed is considered as value-addition. He also stated that although agri-processing
creates employment, it does not create wealthbecause most farms are company-owned and thepercentage of proceeds from sale of produce
returned to farmers is low.

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19Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Mr Amagloh explained that in Ghana, agri-produce
has been channeled to meet household demands.
The products are highly perishable and are sometimes sold cheaply before they spoil. He also suggested that if the farmer is able to control thedemand and the market price of a commodity thenemployment and wealth could be created. Hence
processing of agri-produce should be encouraged
and facilitated.
Two case studies on processed snail and cassava
were highlighted. The presenter stated that though
the application of technology for processed snail has
not been documented, the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science & Technology (KNUST) in
collaboration with the Centre for Biodiversity andUtilization Development (CBUD) were working on
the project because the product is nutritious – theprotein component contains all the essential aminoacids and is low in cholesterol; has a high medicinal
value including suppression of hypertension andcure for anemia and depression; and is a rare delicacy. Factors that contribute to the poor market
value of snails include the drudgery involved inremoving the meat from the shell; and lack of
appeal of locally processed snail.
Mr Amagloh indicated that utilization of cassava
flour; also known as high quality cassava flour(HQCF) in Ghana is low because most bakeries
have not accepted it. There is, therefore, a need tomix it with wheat flour for example, at a ratio of
30: 70 to encourage its use locally. The university
needed to work more closely with industry. The
presenter was of the opinion that the move will
increase the demand for cassava and farmers would
have a regular source of income, resulting in wealthcreation.

20

The paper recommended the following measures,
which countries should take for agri-produce tocreate employment and wealth:>policy makers should establish proceduresto promote processing of agri-produce;>
institutions should initiate conferences andworkshops to stimulate creative thinking by
young researchers; and>governments and donors should develop
local capacities and stimulate research in
African universities to serve local interestsand strengthen international collaboration.

2.8 Opportunities for job/wealth creation in
utilization of ICTS in small and medium
scale enterprises (SMEs) in Africa: Lessons
from Internet use in the Kariobangi Light
Industries, Nairobi, Kenya, by Muriuki
Mureithi, Chief Executive Officer, Summit
Strategies Ltd
Mr Muriuki Mureithi presented research findings on
a study to assess the use of the Internet by smallscale enterprises (SMEs) of the Kariobangi Light
Industries, Nairobi, Kenya. The following steps were
outlined to describe the research design and methodology:> Study design> Target population> Sampling design> Data collection and instruments> Data analysis

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Mr Mureithi presented the research sample description, which includes age of respondents; academic
qualification of the respondents; ICT resources forthe enterprise; number of employees of thesampled enterprises.

>
>
>
>

The findings of the research focused on Internet use;
Internet awareness; literacy on Internet use; relative
cost of Internet use; availability of relevant content;
information needs of the respondents and otherfactors affecting use. Summary of the results showsthat:>
Majority of the sampled enterprises had 3-5
employees (87.1% had below 10 employees).
>
There was a high awareness of the Internet(64.1%) and out of those 95.1% knew about
Internet usage more than a year ago.
>
More respondents had skills on Internet use
than those actually using the Internet.
>
About 80% spent less than US$5 per monthon the Internet.

He suggested that wealth and jobs could be created
for the youth through SMEs by building competitiveness of these enterprises by using ICTS.

On opportunities for wealth creation, Mr Mureithi
indicated that SMEs account for 1.2 million firms in
Kenya creating jobs for 3 million people, especially
youthful entrepreneurs. He pointed out that theyouth who have attained higher education could
offer such services as information brokerage, bureau
services and training to those in the sector and the
populace in general. He also illustrated the contents
and format of information needs of different
sectors. Large enterprises need broad macro economic data, which is unprocessed while microenterprises need specific neighbourhood information because they do not have capacity to process
raw information.
Mureithi outlined the various information brokeragemodels for SMEs as follow:>
ITDG/ITC – www. Oasis.org model

ITDG/ITC Kenya Oasis. Org model
ASSIST – EASIBoard Phillipines model
ASSIST – EASIBOARD – Phillipines model
Phillipines and Chamber of Commerce andIndustry

2.9 Indigenous technologies and wealthcreation: A case study, by Cindano Charles
Gakuru, Legal Officer, Mt Kenya Organic
Farmers Association, Kenya
Mr Gakuru defined “traditional knowledge” as aterm encompassing traditional knowledge, innovations, technologies and practices. It includes a broad
range of subject matters, such as traditional agricultural, biodiversity-related and medicinal knowledge
and folklore. He further explained that in the current
context, the term “tradition-based” refers to knowledge systems, creations, innovations, technologies
and cultural expressions, which have generally beentransmitted from generation to generation and are
regarded as pertaining to a particular people or its
territory; have been developed systematically and are
constantly evolving in response to a changing environment.
Mr Gakuru also defined “traditional technologies”
as processes and products, which have been valuable
sources of technology even before western industri-

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

21Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
alization. They include:>
Agriculture, food production, processing
and preservation and brewing>
Water procurement and storage>
Health and medicine, plant and animal
breeding, forestry>
Engineering>
Energy>Architecture>
Textile, pottery, ceramics, leatherwork;
cosmetology>
Jewelry>Music
He highlighted the following traditional technologies(knowledge) in various communities, among others:>
The Hoodia plant: the San tribe has used theroots of this plant to suppress hunger/
appetites during hunting expeditions. Currently, a refined appetite suppressant marketed as Hoodia in the USA market sells for$30.00 per 30 capsules.
>
The Cunani bush: The Wapischana indigenous communities of the Amazon basin,along the Brazil-Guyana border have been
known to use the Cunani bush, a toxic plant,
to catch fish. The leaves are chewed andthrown into the river and the fish within thevicinity are killed. These fish can be eaten
immediately without alteration to the taste
and no side effects to humans.
>
The Agave plant: Tequila is an alcoholic drink
consumed by the ethnic groups living in thearid highlands of Central Mexico. The drink
is derived from fermented and distilled sapof the Agave (also called Maguey), an indigenous plant of the area. Archeologists saythat the Agave has been cultivated for at last
9000 years using traditional methods passed
down through generations.
He stated that African scientific and technical pro22

cesses behind the various inventions have not beenadequately recognized. Mr Gakuru explained thatlack of incentives discourage dissemination of
information on innovations to the general public. He
added that although customary laws protect the
improved varieties of innovations because it resides
with kinsmen and is passed on among community
members, they are not compensated monetarily forthis knowledge, as is the case in the west. Thissituation prohibits investment in new innovations.
Mr Gakuru discussed the role of modern intellectual
property regimes in removing the secrecy shrouding
traditional technologies and rewarding the innovatorby making the process lucrative through monopolistic and exclusionary patent rights. However, hepointed out the drawbacks of intellectual property
rights (IPR) protection as the debate whether aproduct derived from traditional knowledge could
be rightly called an invention. He also said that there
are complications arising from differences in westernand indigenous legal concepts, which make IPRs
impractical in protecting the knowledge from local
communities.
He concluded that traditional processes should be an
important aspect of the education curricula. The
various communities would be able to learn more
about traditional innovations and then modify themto suit current lifestyles.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

DAY TWO: June 21, 2005
Session One
Chair: Mr Zelalem Wudeneh, Senior Information Expert, Ethiopia Science and Technology
Commission
FOCUS: Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation
3.1 Agricultural biotechnology and wealthcreation in Africa: Prospects for the youth. The
case of the Tree Biotechnology Project in
Kenya, by Maurice Bolo, Research Officer,
ATPS
Mr Maurice Bolo began by emphasizing that biotechnology was not new to Africa and that over theyears Africans have used biotechnology in one formor another. He pointed out that biotechnology canbe traced back to 10 000 BC when man begun
domesticating crops based on selection of desired
traits. He went on to explain that by 6000 BC the
Egyptians were already using fermentation in beer
brewing and in 1960s, the development of highyielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and wheat championed by the Rockefeller and Ford foundations in
Mexico led to the green revolution.
Mr Bolo clarified that biotechnology is erroneously
equated to “genetic modification” which has generated much of the controversies surrounding the
subject. He explained that modern biotechnology
employs recombinant-DNA technologies to transfer
specific gene sequences from one organism toanother. While this has benefits, it also carries a
number of risks, which must be evaluated carefully
on a case-by-case basis. He concurred that modern
biotechnology was a more precise method of
breeding than the laborious traditional plant breeding methods.
Mr Bolo then introduced the status of biotechnology in Kenya by highlighting the opening of the
US$ 12 million biosafety greenhouse at the Kenya
Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) Biotechnol-

ogy Center in June 2004 by his Excellency, Mwai
Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya. He
quoted the President as having said that “Kenya will
strengthen the existing biosafety structures, national
statutes and international obligations” and that “thegovernment, in collaboration with other players,
have produced comprehensive guidelines focusing
on modern biotechnology.” These, he said, werecritical pointers, which signaled the position of the
Kenyan government on modern biotechnology.
Mr Bolo also highlighted the on-going research on
genetically modified organisms (GMO) in Kenya
including:>
Bt maize research for insect resistance by
KARI and the International Maize andWheat Improvement Centre (CYMMIT). Bt
maize had been approved for open quarantine field trials launched on 5 May 2005,
making Kenya the second country in Africa(after South Africa) to carry out field testingof GM crops;>
Bt cotton research for insect resistance by
KARI and MONSANTO at contained trials
stage;>
Transgenic sweet potato research for viralresistance by KARI, MONSANTO and the
Danforth Center, USA (contained trials);>
GM cassava research for cassava mosaic
virus by KARI and the Danforth Center;
and>Rinderpest research for disease control by
KARI (contained trials).

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
He indicated that agri-biotech had positive benefits
for farmers in Africa including making their operations more flexible by minimizing drudgery, and also
permitting efficient pest and weed control. The
consumers could benefit from foods, which arecleaner, tastier and more nutritious. Mr Bolo also
said that the process is environmentally sustainablebecause higher yields reduce pressure on the habitatand consequently the farmland; enhances
biodiversity; reduces the use of pesticides andherbicides and natural fertilizers; and run-offs hence
improved water quality.
He then presented the case: the Tree Biotechnology
Project, which, he said uses biotechnology to address critical needs, such as:>
the overwhelming need for firewood inrural communities; 80-90% of rural populations depend on firewood for 96 % of theirenergy needs;>
non-availability of fast-growing seedlings tomeet the growing demand for the same,with Kenya alone requiring some 60 million
seedlings a year; and>declining forest cover from over-exploitation and poor natural regeneration of trees.
Mr Bolo explained that Kenya’s forest cover standing at about 2.3% of its total land area and this isalready below international standards and that theannual loss rate of about 3000 ha per year was ofserious concern. He said that the tree biotechnology
project was an example of a technology transfer
partnership worth emulating. Under this arrangement, Mondi Forests Ltd provided the technology,
while the International Service for the Acquisition ofAgri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) provided
technical backstopping and also brokering thetechnology transfer deal. The Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), the Forestry Department,

24

provided field monitoring and pest surveillance
while various non-governmental organizations(NGOs) and farmer cooperatives distributed andmarketed the technology.
Mr Bolo explained that seedling distribution andpurchasing data had shown that small-scale farmers
were the largest beneficiaries accounting for over
60% of total seedlings purchased and planted. He
added that continuous research had resulted in
eucalyptus species adapted to various agri-ecologicalzones in Kenya, thereby, ensuring wider coverage
and applicability.
He specified the following achievements by the
project:>
trained Kenyan scientists in clonal forestry incollaboration with Mondi Forests, USA;>established 17 clonal sites countrywide;>
established clonal forest nursery in Karura
Forest, Kenya, which has produced over 4.7
million improved seedlings and clones;>
identified suitable eucalyptus species for
Kenya’s different agro-ecological zones;>
created full-time employment for 100
individuals and 200 casual labourers; and>the 4.7 million seedlings/clones have createdan additional 2,400 ha of forest cover,translating into 7, 200 jobs.
Mr Bolo concluded that the controversies surrounding modern biotechnologies had clouded the benefits, which would accrue from the non-controversial traditional biotechnologies. He stressed that thetree biotechnology project was not using any genetic
modification, yet had demonstrated tangible benefits
to the local communities. He advised that Africancountries should develop regulatory structures(including laws and policies) as well as build theirtechnical and human capacities to reap the benefits
from modern biotechnologies.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
3.1.1. Questions, comments, discussions
Questions• What is the cost effect on countries that may want to growthese trees and GM foods?
• What are the effects of GM foods on humans?
• Are there mechanisms in Bt modified food that helps tocontrol its effects on humans if there is any reaction upon
consumption?
Answers
First, for the improved eucalyptus trees, data has
shown that the highest adoption is by the small-scale
farmers in Kenya. Since there is no special credit
arrangement for these farmers, it is reasonable toassume that the seedlings are affordable. With
respect to GM foods, the technology is highly
capital intensive and will require heavy financial
investments. Some people have used this point toargue that it will lock out small-scale farmers out of
production. That is a genuine concern and may
require governmental intervention to assist small
scale farmers adjust to the situation.
As regards the effect of GM foods on humans, thebasic concern is toxicity and allergenicity. These issues
have largely contributed to the controversy on GM
foods since they are consumed directly. However,there are scientific mechanisms to abate any such
effects. They include avoiding the use of plants witha history of allergens in the design of GM foods
and conducting thorough toxicity tests on thesefoods. Bt modified foods are already in production
and we may already be consuming them. Most
African governments still lack the technical expertiseand regulatory mechanisms to effectively screen GM
foods.

Q: Can a poor African farmer afford biotech food production?
A: There are fears of losing the small-scale farmers
if African countries adopt biotechnologies. However, modern biotechnology is highly capitalintensive and growing GM foods on smallholder
plots for commercial purposes is highly impractical.
Even if the smallholders, adopt GM technologies,
they are likely to be producing for household
consumptions and not commercial purposes. If,
however, it is determined that growing GM crops
will adversely affect smallholders, then there is an
important need for policy interventions.
Q: Why has modern biotechnology not been introduced toeucalyptus trees?
Genetic modification has not been introduced into
the eucalyptus project for two basic reasons. One isthat Kenya has not put in place the requisite policy
and regulatory framework to guide the introductionof GM crops. Secondly, tree biotechnology islearning by doing and the project is still developing its
own capacity for such hi-tech applications. It is
encouraging to note that there are on-going plans to
introduce tissue culture techniques to speed up theprocess.
Q: How will small-scale farmers cope with the need forseedlings to plant during the next season since biotechnology
does not produce them?
A: It is true that traditionally, Africans have always
kept seeds for the next planting season. However,
the reality is that this practice is fast changing. By thenext planting season, most farmers have consumed
the seeds due to poor harvests and they are forced
to buy some from the market. However, there arepolicies, which governments can protect farmers

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

25Youth and Employment/Wealth Creationfrom any adverse effects arising from such arrangements.
3.1.2 Discussions/comments• Government: - Government must invest moreon biotechnology to increase food production in
Africa.
• Most countries lack resources to introduce
biotechnology in agricultural production
Problem facing the introduction of biotechnology inAfrica are listed below:>
Policies are implemented by politicians who
do not have support for biotechnology
research and development;>
Banks are not willing to lend money to theyouth because of fear that the project willfail;>
The private sector do not believe that
innovations by the youth are worth investingin;>Donors prefer short term projects; and>It is a common belief that Africans are notcapable of finding solutions to their problems through technology.

3.2 The role of geographic information
systems (GIS) in enhancing agricultural
productivity and wealth creation in Africa:
Practical applications in Kenya, by Sospeter
Ohanya, Senior Survey Engineer, Tana
River Development Authority (TARDA),
Kenya
The presenter, Sospeter Ohanya, discussed how
geographical information system (GIS) technology
could be used to enhance agricultural productivity tocreate wealth. He defined GIS as a system of
hardware, software and procedures to facilitate
management, manipulation, analysis, modeling,
representation and display of geo-referenced data tosolve complex problems regarding planning andmanaging resources.
The following functions of GIS were discussed:>
Capturing data: GIS can be used toevaluate the soil types which are suitable forthe crops to be grown and also helps in
identifying the geographic location for a
specific land uses;>
Storing data: the system is useful in storing
and retrieving data;>
Analyzing data: Through GIS, queries oninteraction of spatial relationships between
multiple layers, such as identifying land-use
patterns can be addressed; and26

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation>

Displaying data: the system is valuable inassessing data for feasibility studies.

The paper focuses on the various fields where GIS
is applied including:>
Agricultural research;>
Data integration for farm management;>
Precision agriculture; and>Agribusiness inputs.
GIS is an important decision-making tool in farmmanagement, which is applied in identifying land use,
keeping farm inventory, developing the infrastructure and facilitating management decisions. In agrobusiness, the system is effective in locating existingand potential customers, identifying local farm
supply outlets, evaluating the market, targeting
market plans and keeping track of fixed and mobile
assets. The presenter gave an overview of theexperiences of the Oserian Development Farm,
Kenya, in building a GIS database to enhance its
production through the following processes:>
shooting of aerial photographs;>
creating a photo-mosaic to develop a
continuous image;>creating layers representing distinct featuresof the farm;>
integrating the collected data with the basemap;>
analyzing data using proximity andneighbourhood analysis;>
picking other information within the farmusing GPS and other survey equipment;>
relating/integrating the data with daily
production; and>planning layouts for various proposeddevelopment plans.
He indicated that through the exercise, the Oserian
Farm had improved the greenhouse layout, the road
network and the drainage system. The farm had alsolaid out new water pipelines and power lines. Task
allocations and yields have also been improved.
Mr Ohanya raised the following obstacles to thedevelopment of GIS in Africa:>high cost of GIS especially data collection
requiring a high capital input;>
lack of expertise affecting farmers andagricultural technicians prohibiting the use of
GIS;>
excessive focus on traditional methods ofproduction in agriculture affecting the
adoption and use of GIS; and>weak links between farmers and otherstakeholders in the agricultural sector affecting the dissemination of the GIS.
He concluded that agriculture is the backbone ofmany developing countries and needs to be boosted
to achieve economic growth, wealth creation andsubsequently employment opportunities. He addedthat GIS provides answers to various decisionmakers and its use cannot be ignored if substantial
growth is to be realized in the agricultural sector andthe country’s economy.
3.2.1 Questions, comments, discussions
Questions• What is the cost of using GIS?
• What economic benefit will it be to a small-scale farmer
and can it be used on small farmlands considering the cost?
• What can be done to help small-scale farmer to be able to
make use of GIS in their farm land?
• Is it expensive and does it need frequent updating?
• Who makes the decision to use GIS on the farm?
• What other language can be used to transform GIS andhow can one input the data into digital form?
Answers>
Yes it will be expensive for small-scale
farmers and the technology is not suitable
for small farmlands, mostly because there is

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

27Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation

>
>

>

>
>
>

28

less veritety of products on the farm; thefarm land is small for application of GIS.
For GIS language the data can be transformed to digital if need be.
GIS database creation is usually a very
costly endeavor. It involves databasecollection, which in most cases require
specialized equipment and expertise. There
has been a tremendous reduction in cost of
GIS software in the last few years. The costalso depends on the purpose, the nature of
the firm and the target population.
However benefits outweigh overall costs of
GIS data acquisition and management.
Yes, it will be expensive for small-scale
farmer and it is not suitable for small
farmland, mostly because there is less verityof products on the farm. There is need forcollaboration/partnership between smallscale farmers for them to enjoy the benefitsof economies of large-scale operations.
The GIS databases require regular updates
just like any other database systems.
GIS database is a multidisciplinary area
hence nearly all key player have a stake in it.
Concerning the programming languages, it
is noteworthy that there are several GIS
software in the market and hence variationin programming languages. The mostcommon languages, which can be useful inscript writing include, Avenue, C, c++,Visual Basic, among others.

3.3 Accessing start-up capital for innovative
youth projects in Uganda: The case of the
L’ogel project, by Herbert Lwanga, the Principal
Investigator, the L’ogel Project
The paper discussed the challenges facing the youthin accessing financial services for start-up projects in
Uganda. Experiences of the L’Ogel Project, which
was started in 2002 through the support of the
Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) to promote the involvement of the
youth in wealth creation through science and technology (S&T) were shared. Mr Herbert Lwanga
explained that in the 21 century, S&T had become
the dominant force, which propels economic
development and that African youth should be
exposed to the concept early enough.
The L’Ogel Project is involved in the following
activities, among others:>
encouraging the involvement of youth in
S&T projects for Africa’s development;>
encouraging young scientists to develop a
passion for applying S&T to community andregional development;>
contributing to the improvement of thelivelihood of the African youth throughinformation networks and capacity building;and>creating employment opportunities for the
youth.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
To date, the project has developed several technological devices, which are in the market, such as:>
Energy generating system, for example,
battery chargers;>
Energy saving systems, such as inverters;>
Public address systems; and>Computer applications software.
Mr Lwanga discussed the challenges, which the
project has experienced when implementing theinitial phase, including:>difficulties in convincing prospective donors
to fund S&T projects, especially long-term
ones;>
delays in delivery of supplies because of
inefficiency of intermediate suppliers;>
negative attitude of public officials who areaverse to investing in S&T projects becauseof the perception that such projects are
difficult;>limited marketing opportunities for thedeveloped prototypes because of dependence on person to person advertisement;>
fluctuating prices of raw materials leading
to higher production costs;>
expensive special machines/equipment, suchas PCB prototyping machines for the
project’s need; and>lack of entrepreneurial, managerial andtechnical skills by the project promoters.
Mr Lwanga indicated that the following steps will betaken to overcome the challenges:>
intensifying marketing strategies, throughmedia advertisements, to expand the market;>
strengthening partnerships with the key
stakeholders to continue developing devices,which are beneficial to all;>strengthening working relationship withUNCST for support and cooperation in>>

S&T research and development(R&D);
building the capacity of L’Ogel staff inenterprise management, system designing,assembling and development and software
design; andinitiating cooperation with other institutions
to promote S&T among the youth.

Mr Lwanga hoped to steer the project to become adependable resource centre in S&T in Africa, which
will continue to improve the livelihood of young
people in Africa.
3.3.1 Comments, questions, discussions
Q: Are your products affordable?
The products are affordable and we are currently
testing one of our new products in collaboration
with the Ugandan police and the Department of
Immigration.
Q: Are your products an improvement of earlier or imported
innovations or are they original creations?
We try to add extra into some of the already developed products in circulation because some of themwere not made for the African market, for example,
power stabilizers.
Q: Do you work alone or seek partnerships with otherinstitutions?
There is team work because what we do requires
expertise and commitment from different fields/
disciplines.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

29Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation

Session two
Chair: Mr Ndong Ndiogou, Centre
Regional Pour L’eau Portable et L’assainis,
Senegal
3.4 Science and technology alone are notenough: Politics, policies and linkages for
S&T- led development in Africa: What role
for the youth? by Dr Osita Ogbu, Executive
Director, ATPSDr Osita Ogbu presentation stressed that science initself is not enough to eradicate poverty by discussing the following points:>science generation does not imply scienceuse;>huge expenditures in science/knowledge
generation do not equal knowledge intensive
activities/industries;>
science can lead to technology but technology can also be generated from technology;
and>science can lead to invention/discovery.
Addressing the connection between politics andtechnology, Dr Ogbu said scientists usually believe inthe shared assumptions about knowledge, purpose,context and importance of technology and have thetendency to view technology as a separate systemrather than a product open to competing accounts.
Dr Ogbu indicated that science could lead to innovation through systems of innovation approach;organization/institutional setup; and the role ofdifferent actors. He urged the youth to be agents ofchange by playing the role of bridge builders andconfigurational entrepreneurs. He also advocated forthe youth to establish a new set of common understandings, which rally politicians and scientists to-30

wards agreed socio-technical values and beliefs. Dr
Ogbu also said that being part of the process
through which science and technology (S&T) configurations are stabilized, transformed and redefined would help to bring the needed change.
Other methods included using a collective platform,
such as the youth congress to champion certain
ideas; deepening one’s knowledge of science; andparticipating actively in the political process for the“good of all”.
Dr Osita Ogbu underscored the important role,
which S&T has played in the development of Asian
economies, including China and wondered why thesame has not worked for Africa. He urged African
nations to investigate what can be done to change
this situation, adding that the success of applying
S&T to development will require curiosity, creativity
and a lot of imagination. He indicated that the youth
were risk takers, and that is why it is important tosell relevant ideas to them because they are also mostaffected by unemployment. Dr Ogbu said that the
belief is that the youth will vigorously market andsell the ideas to their peers and political leadership ofthe various countries.
Dr Ogbu gave the example of the Finnish modelthat was successful in transforming a natural resource-based economy into a technological andknowledge driven economy in a short period. The
key aspects of this model, among others, included:>a unique Science and Technology Policy
Council (STPC), which is very distinct andinnovative in its composition and is Chairedby the Prime Minister, with statutory membership from ministries of education, tradeand industry;>
an intelligent follower strategy;>
industry clusters of close operation between
firms and organizations;

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation>>

linking traditional strength and new technology, for example, forestry and ICTs; andinnovation oriented public policies.

Dr Ogbu advised the various African actors including state and political leadership, NGOs and theprivate sector and knowledge institutions to embrace
new innovative technologies, ideas and knowledge
to move ahead by:>building capacity through research andtraining;>
creating a pool of policy entrepreneurs;>
creating S&T advisory councils;>
training policy makers and parliamentarians;>building alliances between industry;
academia and government; and>educating journalists on S&T issues.

>

>

>

>

3.5 Legal and policy support for scienceand technology in Africa: An audit of selected East African countries, by Ndolo
Asasa, Programme Officer, Youth Agenda,
Kenya

Presence/absence of scientists in thepolitical arena: The total number ofnational politicians in East Africa with ascience orientation is less than 5%; and thehighest ranked are cabinet ministers.
Relationship between education andscience and technology: All East Africancountries stress the need for education forall. However, most of the energies are
directed at providing basic education andnot aimed at improving higher level education where the beneficiaries have morecapacity to use and apply science and technology. He added that the tertiary anduniversity institutions of learning receive theleast attention, as is evident from the leanfinancial allocations.
Management of administration ofscience: management of S&T is confined toa department of a ministry in most East
African countries.
Financial/budgetary support: S&T has
no substantive budgetary allocation in all thethree countries.

Mr Asasa concluded that the youth must continue toconsciously and actively engage in constructive
activities to ensure that the pursuit of S&T is employed as a strategy to create wealth.

Mr Ndolo Asasa described the East African politicalsystems as focusing on “cronyism, pondering,oratory and promises for services.” S&T issues,
therefore, are invisible to the rich and are relegatedto the backseat because it is assumed to be obvious.
Asasa looked at the disadvantaged position of S&T
through various perspectives as discussed below:

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

31

DAY THREE
Session one
Chair: Ms Lydia Atieno Olaka, Msc. Scholar, University of Nairobi, Kenya
FOCUS: Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation

4.1 Opportunities for innovative grassroots
partnerships for employment and wealth creation in Kenya, by Ms Elizabeth Obanda,
Project Manager, Africa NOW
The presenter, Ms Elizabeth Obanda, gave an
overview of agricultural production in Kenya in
relation to wealth and job-creation opportunities forthe youth through value-addition processes, which
contribute to reduction of post-harvest losses. She
indicated that agricultural products are seasonal,
perishable and have low market value and as suchvalue-addition could offer the following advantages:>
Attractive packaging of products would
give them competitive edge over othersimilar products in the market; prolong theshelf life of agricultural commodities;
convert inedible to edible products; and earn
foreign exchange; and>Using efficient technologies to reduce costsof production and make product competitive in international markets.
The paper defined value-addition to include suchprocess as simple cleaning and washing to remove
chaff, stones, dirt; and sorting items into regular sizes

for uniformity and quality. Others are milling,
extracting, mixing, packaging, reducing size, cooking,baking, frying, drying and fermenting. Youth wereencouraged to be involved in value-addition project
activities as training or strengthening of farming
communities; providing seed and equipment toincrease productivity and initiating collaborations
with strategic partners. Soap making from theavocado fruit; making jam from paw paw andblending and packing tea, among others, were given
as examples of value-addition opportunities.
Ms Obanda advised the youth to seek funding from
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), andmicrofinance institutions after forming groups or
establish strategic partnerships, which provide added
benefits for accessing funding as:>
it is a prerequisite to funding;>it increases access to funding, sourcing
technologies;>
it increases chances of ensuring sustainabilityof projects and training/capacity building
opportunities; and>it facilitates dissemination of informationand institutionalization of policies.
Ms Obanda shared the experience of Nicholas
Olwande, an artisan working for a project called thePromotion of Rural Technology (PORT), which
promotes the rope and washer pump. The productis cheap, easy to use, can be locally produced andrepaired, and does not require electricity to function.
The presenter also gave an overview of Africa
NOW, an institution, which seeks to improve accessof small-scale producers to finance, training andYouth and Employment/Wealth Creation
appropriate technology through projects, advocacy
and partnerships with individuals, businesses, NGOs
and public agencies.
4.1.1. Discussions, comments, questions
Questions• For how long will you continue writing proposals for youth
groups?
• Why don’t you train them on proposal writing?
• Why can’t they use you as their consultant?
• What’s your feeling if your proposals are not accepted?
• How do you come in, when young people don’t have accessto resources to develop themselves or solve their problems?
Answers
May be someone prefers to work as an individual
and is not interested in working as a group or for a
project. Make use of your skills and as you write aproposal for another organization carve out a rolefor yourself. The proposal will facilitate donor
funding and you have already created a job for
yourself. However, ensure that you have a MOA/
MOU with your client to satisfy donor assessment
requirements.
If you don’t get money, then you can start small, do
the things you can within your reach for example
you can start a small business, such as making tea,jam, among others without getting into fundraising.
This young man I gave as an example has notreceived any donor funding but he has reached thatpoint where if he applies for funding he will get it
because he has a proven track record.
Accessing relevant information is a problem, which
affects all of us. As a manager, I am privileged toattend district development community meetings,
which are held every three months. I was shockedthat Kshs. 500, 000. 00 would be remitted to theTreasury because nobody has written a reasonableproposal to ask for this money. So I went andadvised a firm, which trains young people to write aproposal on training boda boda (bicycle taxis) operators on traffic rules. In Kenya we are lagging behindin many areas and it is not only the young people
who are affected.
Comment
Kenyans have an attitude problem. We want to attain
university education and be engaged in white-collar
employment. This attitude is encouraged by theeducation system, which trains us to become pilots
or directors of projects. We are not tuned to doing
any work to earn a living. Our motivation should beto solve problems and help people reduce poverty.
Nature has a way of rewarding people and you willfind someone who will eventually support you.
Answers
Don’t look at the problems, which are on your path,
don’t look at the fact that the government is notincluding you in policy issues, don’t look at the factthat you are not credit worthy. You have to start like
Dr Desai. You have to start by repairing thosebicycles; slowly by slowly people will start listening
to you. It is true that young people are not being
involved in policy matters.
Answers to the problems of Africa are with eachone of us. Let us not wait for an NGO; theseorganizations are doing what they can and each oneof us should also play a role. There are many
students who hold Bsc degrees in Agriculture fromthe University of Nairobi but when they go back to
the village, they shun farming and prefer to stay idle
waiting for white-collar jobs. The solution to the
problem of unemployment and poverty eradication
lies with each one of us.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

33Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation>>>

4.2 Bridging the gender gap in agriculture,science, technology and innovation education in Africa: Employment and wealthcreation, by Prof Levi Shadeya
Akundabweni, Ag. Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nairobi
Prof Akundabweni discussed access to information,
options, and employment and the gender gap bylinking it to the girl child’s career. He also looked at
gender disability and marginalization in agriculture
with respect to innovation and technology byfocusing on HIV/AIDS because the disease is thebiggest challenge in agriculture from student, professional and producer levels. He added that wealthcreation is challenging because Africa produces justenough for subsistence.

The external ring, which is also known as
the conversational information. It is about
speaking the native language, reading,attending class and learning a formal orinformal profession.
Reference information is what is found inlibraries, textbooks, CD-ROMs. This typeof information points out what we want tobecome and how we are influenced toachieve this.
News and cultural information informs usof what is taking place around.

Prof Akundabweni indicated that reference information, especially S&T, runs world systems. He
stressed the importance of emphasizing the role ofreference information because it shows gender gap
in relation to the girl child in all professions including
agriculture.
He also explained that culture and religious beliefs
and dogmas as tricky issues which people are willingto die for. He added that culture has created stereotyping roles, which are impediments to women’s
progress. Prof Akundabweni also said that religious
beliefs, dogmas and fundamentalism interfere withthe level of education, which the girl child receives.
He posed the following questions:

Prof Akundabweni indicated that when the girl childis discussed, professors, politicians and other stakeholders patronize issues because they believe that it isa subject, which can sell, adding that the gap has aloading effect on gender.
He identified the ingredients for knowledge as theinformation sources or catchments. These
catchments include:>
The internal ring, which informs about us
and the world from within.

34“To what degree is information education andgender harmonized to the extent that the assessment
can be used to providing answers to the gaping
north south digital divide?”“Can then one speak of such a thing as the African
information education gap with respect to gender?”Statistics showing the deployment of women in key
positions in the Kenyan civil service revealed that

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
there are far less women in higher echelons ofgovernment compared to men. Prof Akundabweni
expounded that women’s role in creating wealth isinsignificant because they are not wealthy. He also
indicated that even if women and men became
equally competitive, the job market will never besliced into two equal proportions. He advised thatwomen are needed at a higher level as policy makers, planners and other senior positions to direct
agriculture where women’s development is key.
Prof Akundabweni argued that the poor distribution of women at senior civil service levels aspermanent secretaries, members of parliament,
judges, among others indicate that it is not simply
technology and innovation, which need to beaddressed but also the place of the girl child in theeconomic, cultural, university and governancestructures. He challenged professionals in agriculture
not to leave the direction of policies to social
scientists but to also assess where the problem lies
and contribute to rectifying the situation.

>>

On HIV/AIDS, the presenter said the cultivation ofannual crops, unlike perennial crops is in the handsof women and when they are sick and weak andcannot work then the family unit is destabilized. He
suggested that opinion leader, constituents, thegovernment, members of parliament should besensitized about the situation.
4.2.1 Comments, discussions, questions>
I commend the presentation because it
brings out deeper issues. Female gender
discrimination has to be seriously addressed
because it is the underlying problems, which
worsen the marginalization of women.
>
When I was young I never understood genderissues but now I understand them and I am
always quick to explain the importance of>girl child education to my father and manyother people. I encourage all the participants
to do the same whenever the occasion arises.
The professor has not said much about girlchild but instead talked more about theimportance of mothers and the roles theyplay in the home. This tells us the importanceof women in general. I would like to ask thefollowing questions:• Why is it that when a mother dies thechildren starve?
• Why is it that the father cannot bringfood home for the children?
This invariably shows that women havegreater roles to play in development.
Women leaders have achieved a lot in
Nigeria. A lady was appointed to head
NAFDAK in Nigeria and within a shorttime she was able turn things around by
stepping up the rules and regulations, whichgovern importation of drugs into thecountry and was able to save lives, which
would have been destroyed throughconsumption of imported fake, low quality
and cheap drugs. The finance minister is also
a woman and since her appointment,
financial affairs have become transparent andall the financial transactions are now being
published in the nation’s newspapers unlike
before. There are more examples ofwomen achievers but the society still does
not think that women are capable. Moreoften the girl child looks after the families
while the boys do nothing.
I also commend the professor for addressing gender issues or matters touching on
women’s development candidly and exhaustively. However, I would like to know if any
thing is being done to ensure that more girls
take up sciences as the statistics show that

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

35Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
their numbers are really low compared tothe boys.
Women have been marginalized, especially in agriculture. When the time for ploughing and planting
comes the men are nowhere to be found but comeharvest time the men are all round to reap where
they did not sow. All the farm proceeds are takenfrom the women who have worked hard. It is sadthat only 20% of women own land while 60% arelandless. It is also the same sad story when it comesto animal husbandry where only 0.5% of women
own animals and yet they are the ones who tend tothese animals. In most communities women are only
allowed to keep chickens, which do not fetch as
much as cows, goats or sheep.
A group of women came together to learn how tokeep chickens but most of the time I am asked why
they cannot keep bigger animals to earn moremoney. Such a project is not possible because of theissues surrounding the ownership of such property.
A survey showed that women spend 16-18 hours
working each day while men do only 4-6 hours.
>
Most of the time men spend their money
drinking while women use the little income
they make to pay fees and feed the children.
Sometimes women do not appreciate thehelp men give and such an attitude discourages men. Most women shy away fromhigher professional positions because offear of not performing to expectation.
Women must give such appointments achance before they conclude that they cannot
cope. Women should be more aggressive
and vocal in pursuing their goal. They should
get rid of the inferiority complex and try
their hands on jobs perceived to be for men
only.
>
All over Africa, one thing we all can identify

36with from the different places we comefrom is political instability. From time totime if there is no war going on there ispolitical change or both. Good and effective
policies, political will by the government andstrong will to enforce good policies arelacking. Most policies do not include theyouth and as a result their views are notrecognized or included in the policy making
process.
>
Governments lack adequate resources toshare with the youth. The youth should be
included in the revenue allocation so that theresources generated from youth activities canbe ploughed back into the economy.
>
The youth should first help themselves byfinding solutions to their problems. As theysay “charity begins at home,” so also should
the youth help to find answers to those
things that have hindered their success.
>In looking at the use of the Internet by the
youth it is disappointing to note that mostyouth in Africa do not actually engage insourcing useful information. The attitude of
cutting and pasting information from the net
has given the use of the Internet a bad name.
The youth who cut corners to achieve
their goals are driven by frustration becauseof their situation contrary to their counter
parts in the developed countries. They
should take up the responsibility of cleaningout their bad behavior before they ask thesociety for assistance.
The society does not have confidence in the youth.
The youth have a lot of potential but they are prejudged. Generalization of youth by appearance andsome other bad behaviors cause all the youth to be
criticized unjustly.
Just like Dr Ogbu, the Executive Director of ATPS

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
said “science is not enough unless the scientists areincluded in the policy making”, so also should theyouths to be included in decision making to better
address issues affecting them.

>

4.3
REPORTS FROM THE DISCUSSION GROUPS>

A. GROUP ONE: Harnessing Agriculture,
Science, Technology and Innovation for
Wealth and Empowerment Creation for
Youth in Africa

>

3.
>
>

The groups had four questions, and the first one was
general to all the three groups. The specific questionwas:
What are the major challenges preventing youth from achieving
their full potential gaining sustainable employment and creating
wealth in Africa? List and prioritize.

>

4.
>

The answer was categorized under the following
headings:

>

1.
>

>

>

>

Political
political instability conflict and tribal clashes,
which limit availability of resources andinvestment, destroy their youth and restrict
opportunities;
lack of political commitment resulting inlack of policies for the youth and limited
budgetary commitment; andlack of youth participation or involvement
in governance, which limits their voice inpolicy formulation and implementation,
which could benefit them.
Education and infrastructure
high illiteracy and limited opportunities foreducating youth at all levels primary secondary and tertiary;

Financiallack of financial resources to support
training and skill development;lack/ limited availability of start-up capitalto support young entrepreneurs; andlack of investments by government andprivate sector in the youth.
Socio-cultural
Attitude of youth in general needs to change
so that they become more self-reliant, more
serious and more forward thinking;Lack of confidence in youth as society does
not value the potential of the youth as they
are judged by their age and appearance; andLack of mentors to provide guidance andsupport.

The challenges, which are preventing Africans fromusing science, technology and innovation (ST&I) for
creating employment was answered as follows:
A.
>

>
2.
>

high cost of training limited opportunities
for industrial attachments;
outdated curriculum and emphasis on theory
without adequately providing practicalexperience; andlimited use of ICTs and lack of policies,
which could improve access andaffordability.

Political, Public and Institutional:
lack of policies and limited institutionalframework to support ST&I, education andknowledge; andlimited access to education and lack ofinvestment in developing a knowledge
society.

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37Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
B.
>
>
>
>

Infrastructure
outdated and poorly equipped schools;
university and research facilities;
limited, outdated and poorly equipped
national industrial plants; andUnreliable communication and transport
networks including telecommunications,roads, ports and airports

C. Financial and Socio-Economic Problems
Given the gravity of the situation with respect topoverty, health and educations, governments areforced to focus on short-term measures as opposed
to investing in ST&I as a strategy for development.

B.

GROUP TWOTOPIC: Youth Employment and Participation in S&T Policy-making Process: Element of an action plan
What is preventing Africa youth from participating in S&T
policy making?
Answers>
lack of information exposure and expertise;>inability to participate in governance becauseof age restriction;>
culture and tradition;>
bureaucracy and political problems;>
inadequate networking and linkages, which
restrict ability to form platforms for lobbying government and other agencies;>
low priority given by African governments
and related institution on S&T.
They discussed how the youths could be empowered to participate in S&T and they suggested thefollowing:>
capacity building through training andorientation forums;
38>>

parliamentary representation of the youths
by youths; andreorientation of the youth from violence todialogue.

NGOs, government, the media, the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), institutions of higher
learning and religious bodies can be enlisted tochampion the need for youth employment.

C. GROUP THREE
TOPIC: Youth Leadership and HIV/AIDS
Prevention: Elements of an action plan
How is the HIV/AIDS pandemic preventing the youth
from realizing their full potential?
Answers>
job stigmatization and discrimination;>
job insecurity and exploitation leading to
low productivity;>
loss of hope, opportunity and ambitions
and a rise in number of orphans; and>loss of youth as they must take an adultresponsibility.
4.4 A Visit to the Oserian Development Farm
Participants of the youth congress and exposition
visited the Oserian Development Company, which
grows flowers on the southern shore of Lake
Naivasha, Kenya. Maryanne Mwangi, Training
Manager and Carol Andrews, Business Development Manager took the participants round and gavea presentation on Oserian, a summary of thepresentation is discussed below.
The flowers are grown in two areas; the main farm
located on the south-western shore of Lake
Naivasha and the Backlands Farm, which is located

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
further south, close to the northern part of the
Olkaria Geo-thermal plant.
The major flower varieties grown and exported
from Kenya are roses, carnations, statice, cutfoliage,
carthanus, solidaster/solidago, chrysanthmums,
arabicum, trlizia, rudbeckia, gypsophilia, lilies,
molucella, ernngium and tuberoses.
They learned that Kenya had experienced phenomenal growth in its export of cut flower and theindustry is expanding, with roses continuing todominate the export market with sales increasing by
15% during in three years. There is, however, fierce
competition from Colombia, Ecuador, Israel,
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda.
They also learnt that the main market for Kenya’s cut
flowers is the European Union (EU) in particularGermany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom,
Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and France. To develop
and maintain reputation, Kenyan exporters ensurethat they supply high quality flowers to their customers. The EU is the main market, which governs thequality of standards of the Kenyan flower industry.
Kenya is currently ranked as the largest supplier ofcut flowers to the EU.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

39

DAY FOUR: June 23, 2005
Session One
Chair: Mr Darlington Ndlovu, Research Assistant, IDA/OSERCS, Zimbabwe
FOCUS: Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention
education to attain higher professional qualifications
are minimized.

5.1 The effects of HIV/AIDS on youth
employment and wealth creation: Experiences from Nigeria, by Ms Belinda Onyinye
Ndubuisi, Development Partnership International, Nigeria
Ms Belinda Ndubisi highlighted the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and showed that infection
rates are increasing and the youth between 15 and 35
years old are most affected. The high infection rates,
according to Ms Ndubisi, are a result of:>
inadequate knowledge on HIV/AIDS;>
poverty; and>customs and traditions, including female
genital mutilation, circumcision and marriage
practices.
Ndubuisi opined that the higher occurrence of
HIV/AIDS among females compared to men
increased the gender inequality gap. She added thatthe work force has been reduced by deaths from
HIV/AIDS complications, affecting the national
economy and development. Other consequences
are the rising cost of labour, affecting the cost of
goods and services. Orphans are also forced to enter
the job market early and chances of pursuing further

Ms Ndubisi recommended the following measuresfor containing the HIV/AIDS pandemic:>
end the silence, which is prevalent in somecommunities so that people are better
informed about the virus;>
encourage people to go for voluntary testing
and counseling;>create a supportive environment for those
infected;>
form and strengthen partnerships to fightthe HIV/AIDS pandemic; and>change attitudes towards those affected by
HIV/AIDS.
She warned that the escalating rates of infection will
deter investors from supporting development
programmes that could create wealth and employment in Africa.

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
AIDS is often associated with immorality andpromiscuity and this is a fallacy and generalization,
which could be attributed to:>lack of sufficient knowledge;>high prevalence of sexually transmitted
infections affecting 70% of the Kenyan
population;>
cultural beliefs and practices that allow
sharing of wives, for example, among the
Samburu and Maasai communities; and>wife inheritance.

5.2
Stigma, attitude, knowledge andbehavioural change: The key pillars forarresting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, by Gabriel Kamimo, National Empowerment of People Living with AIDS in
Kenya (NEPHAK)
Mr Gabriel Kamimo pointed out that there areapproximately 2.6 million people living with AIDS
in Kenya, translating to 9% of the total population.
He added that there are about 1 million orphans
who are affected or infected.
Mr Kamimo defined stigma as a powerful anddiscrediting social label, which radically changes theway people view themselves or are viewed bysociety. He indicated that the stigma around HIV/AIDS occurs at the following levels:>
self stigma is where infected persons
exclude themselves from society; and>societal stigma is how the populace looks at
those infected with HIV/AIDS.

Mr Kamimo indicated that young people are at ahigher risk of infection because:>
They do not see themselves as likely to be
infected by the virus hence the continuingadventurous life of sexual defiant behaviour.
>
The youth lack accurate information on
preventive measures against HIV/AIDS andpreaching abstinence is not realistic to them.
>
Secrecy and privacy on human sexuality
deter discussion of such issues between the
youth and their parents.
He advised that secrecy and privacy dominating the
subject of sex must be unveiled to allow freeexchange of information. Mr Kamimo suggested
that the youth can be used to talk to their peers
about HIV/AIDS. Attitudes, skills and practices on
combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic should be
improved at all levels to encourage role modelingfor prevention.

Mr Kamimo explained that stigma has an enormous
impact on the lives of people living with the HIV/AIDS virus leading to early deaths. Stigma undermines the fight against HIV/AIDS because it isdifficult to assist infected persons if they are notready to reveal their status. He also said that HIV/

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

41Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation•

adolescent experimentation and its subsequent
risks__ adolescents do not fully comprehend
the extent of their exposure to risk..
Mr Warria divulged that the present youth population
aged between 15 to 24 years have never known aworld without HIV/AIDS and sadly have been foundto initiate sexual activity in their teen years, some before
their fifteenth birthday.

5.3 Abstinence and behaviour change forthe youth: What works?, by Mr Juma
Warria, Research Coordinator, I Choose
Life - Africa
Mr Charles Juma Warria, Research Coordinator of I
Choose Life-Africa, a non governmental organization involved in active HIV/AIDS behavior change
in Kenyan universities and the surrounding communities told the meeting that young people under 25
years old, who account for nearly half of the global
population, hold the greatest hope for changing thecourse of the HIV/AIDS pandemic despite the fact
they are the most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
Mr Warria delivered an insightful presentation aptly
titled Abstinence and Behavior Change for theYouth. What Works?, which sought to address theinstitutional responses to the plight of young people
around the world.
He explained that susceptibility to HIV/AIDS ishigher among the youth due:
• risky sexual gambles for survival andsustenance;• lack of HIV/AIDS information, educationand services because of a conservative society,which compound a young person’s risk inaddition to misinformation from equallyignorant peers;• peer pressure; and42

Citing statistics from a UNAIDS, 2004 report, Mr
Warria said that premarital sexual activity amongst
adolescents is often catalyzed by:• increasing urbanization;• poverty;• exposure to conflicting ideas about sexualvalues and behavior; and• breakdown of traditional sexuality andreproduction information channels.
He acknowledged that the current generation of youth
numbering about 1.7 billion worldwide is the largest
population ever to make transition into adulthood.
Mr Warria stressed that young people who constitutenearly 30% of the population in the developing world
are crucial to sustainable economic, social and politicalprogress and stability of their societies andcommunities. He also stressed that the values, attitudes
and skills acquired by the youth and their successive
choices will fundamentally influence the course ofcurrent events and shape the future world.
Mr Warria disclosed that over 60 million people, halfof them aged between 15 and 24 have been infectedwith HIV in the past 20 years. Moreover, 12 million
young people are presently living with HIV/AIDS,
and young women are more likely to be infected than
young men.
He urged the society in general to raise awarenessamong the youth about HIV/AIDS at an early stage

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creationpreferably before they become sexually active. He
challenged education and communication programmes
to go a step beyond merely offering information, toencouraging avoidance skills such as abstinence, delaying
sexual experience to an appropriate age, andnegotiation with sex partners.

HIV/AIDS prevention, the I Choose Life Program
has strived to create a conducive environment within
universities by nurturing groups of caring communities
that are capable of making responsible and informed
choices with regard to life and HIV/AIDS.
5.3.1.

Mr Warria said that Kenya currently has the fourthlargest population of people living with HIV/AIDS
in the world. Three quarters of the 250,000 people
living with AIDS in Kenya are aged between 15 and49 years old. Of particular interest to I Choose Life
Africa, is the 12.45% to 18.67% of the infected group
who are college attending females, while 4.80-7.21%
are male college attendees, a phenomenon that has
had a striking impact on higher education in Kenya
and other developing countries. Tragically, manycollege students die a few years after graduation. Mr.
Warria strongly challenged institutions of higher
education to play an active role in developing effective
mechanisms to deal with HIV/AIDS impact within
the institutions and their neighboring communities.
He informed the participants that I Choose Life Africa
is actively involved in behavior change communicationand interventions in addition to training peer educators
in Kenyan universities and the surrounding
communities. Mr Warria explained that I Choose LifeAfrica recognizes that education on its own isinsufficient to induce behavior change since the sexual
behavior of the youth is widely diverse and embedded
in different individuals. He further explained that I
Choose Life- Africa bases its programme strategy on
individual psychosocial and cognitive approaches that
seek to equip individual youth with practical skills tominimize the risk of HIV infection.

Questions, discussions, comments

Comments>
People should understand messages advocating for behaviour change. They should
also be aware that there is treatment, which
will minimize chances of infection up to 72
hours after exposure to the HIV/AIDS
virus.
>
People should be encouraged to visit theVoluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)
centres to know their status and prevent
infection and re-infection>
The main mode of transmission is sexualintercourse; concentration of the virus insaliva is low so kissing is not perceived as amajor threat.
5.4 Discussion: Living with HIV/AIDS in
Kenya (Testimonies)
5.4.1 Ms Elizabeth Atieno – Maxfacta (seeAnnex 7)5.4.2 Ms Caroline Sande – NEPHAK (seeAnnex 8)Since the cognitive aspect forms an integral componentof behavior change communication and in this caseContinued on pg 46...
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43

Mr Abubakar Hassan,Youth Technical Asistant, Agrovet,
Sudan, Ms Sally Chikute, University of Zambia, Mr Victor
Emeka, Student Leader, University of Nigeria and Mr
Michael Waigwa, Chairman, Nairobi University Agriculture
Students Association, NUASA, during one of the sessions

Participants at a working group session“Congratulations”, says Prof. Miriam Were, Chairperson,
NACC, as she presents a certificate of participation to Mr
Victor Ngwoke Emeka, Student, University of Nigeria,
Nsukka. Dr Ogbu, ATPS looks on

A cross–section of participants listen to the presentations
through simultaneous interpretation

Essay winners pose for a picture with Dr Ogbu, Judith
Francis and the essay judges. From Left: Mr William
Avoxe, KNUST, Ghana, Dr Ogbu, Phillip Mutuma,
KARI-Embu Station Kenya, Christine Ndunge (UoN,
Kenya), Winnie Alum, NARO, Uganda, Otula Owuor ,Elizabeth Lawson, George Kanthiti, Chitedze Agriculturalresearch Station, Malawi, and Ms Judith Ann Francis

Attentive participants during one of the proceedings/
presentations

“What a marvel!!”, Participants admire the bicycle mounted
device introduced by Centurion Systems to help provide
digital communication for rural folk

Mrs Tientcheu Djike Blandine, Assistant Researcher,
Cameroon, giving vote of thanks during the closing
ceremony“The power to read and write can be used to create
wealth”, seems to be the message as participants perusethrough workshop documents

Elizabeth Obanda, Programme Manager, Africa NOW,
Kenya and Titi Akinsanmi, Programme Manager,
Schoolnet Africa, South Africa, follow the discussions‘This essay reads well”, judges Otula Owuor and Elizabeth
Lawson seem to be telling Maurice Bolo, rightParticipants of the Africa regional youth congress and expo
on employment and wealth creation – group photoYouth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Continued from pg 43...

5.5.2 Ms Judith Ann Francis, CTA

5.5 Closing ceremony

Ms Judith Francis borrowed Koffi Anan’s statement
indicating that national, regional and internationalorganizations have been focusing on issues affecting
the youth for the last twenty or more years andseven key issues impacting the youth are identified as:

Speeches:

1. Numbers issue: A large proportion of unemployed, unskilled, untrained youth are living underinadequate/poor economic situation and this is achallenge, which needs to be urgently addressed.

5.5.1 Prof Miriam Were, Chair, National
AIDS Council of Kenya
Prof Were encouraged the youth to strive to stayalive because so many young people are trying to do
things that are killing them, including engaging in sex,
the most prevalent means of transmitting HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Quoting Isaac Newton, Prof Were said, “I haveseen further because I was standing on the shouldersof the giants”, she advised the youth to borrow andlearn from older people by understanding content,
issues and opinions.
She narrated her experiences during the colonial era
in Kenya, adding that her generation brought political liberation from colonialism to independence andchallenged the youth to liberate Africa from economic dependence. Prof Were reminded the youththat the current generation of young people is mostinformed, educated and exposed to the world ofknowledge and technology and they must pass thelegacy on. She urged them to use the knowledge andtechnology to create wealth.

46

2. Education Issue: In advocating capacity building
and empowerment, the intervention, the target
group and the level at which to target programmes
to have significant impact must be carefully identified.
3. Economic value issue: The youth as a community
have limited access to resources and seemingly
financial power, leading to their marginalization.
Identification of who gets access to resources andmicro financing to support entrepreneurship must
be clearly stated in relevant policy and programme
instruments.
4. Policy issue: Several organizations have targeted
the youth and several countries have initiated ministries, which address youth issues. However, lack ofcoherency and coordination of youth policies andlack of information on youth to inform policy
development complicate the issue. Youths should be
adequately represented in policy and governanceissues and must be empowered to participate in theprocess.
5. Migration issue: Rural urban drift and brain drain
are draining communities of talented youth. If thecapacity of the youth is built and they are empowered then providing the incentive for the youth toOpportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
stay depends on policies and governance in thevarious countries.
6. Perception and reality issue: In reality the youth
lack confidence in the system. However, the perception exists that they have poor attitudes and therefore cannot be agents of change. In examining thestrategies for empowering youth and building
capacity and confidence and developing positive
attitudes, an enabling environment must be addressed.
7. Knowledge Issue: There is need to review schools
and universities, their programmes and facilities
where the youth can re-invent themselves. Knowledge is power and even when information is available, some youths may not be able to grasp all theopportunity for empowerment and capacity building. A CNN documentary compared Malaysia andGhana’s economic development since the twocountries gained independence at the same time.
Malaysia had invested resources in building knowledge skills in research and innovation with emphasison education and upgrading infrastructure to advance their development. Their success to date wasassociated with visionary leadership. The rightenvironment is created in Africa to overcome someof the obstacles facing youth then the continent
could make giant strides.

“Why would you test the husband and not tell thewife, why did we allow the girl at Moi University toinfect 165 persons?; Should we strike a balance when
we identify the effect on the society?, he asked. He
challenged the participants to use such incidents as asocial issue, which demand for responses, which candistinguish between human rights protection and theconcerns for the larger public.
Dr Ogbu warned that HIV/AIDS affects everyone
directly hence the need for the youth to take backthe ideas from the congress to their constituencies.
“This is a seed and use the various channel for theseed to germinate so that others can partake in thisknowledge,” he stressed. He added that the youth
are aware of HIV/AIDS but the disease continues
to spread hence the need to engage the youth in thevarious forums as a way of controlling the pandemic.
5.5.4 Vote of Thanks
Dr Osita Ogbu thanked CTA with special mentionof Ms Judith Francis of CTA, Mr Maurice Bolo,
ATPS and the ATPS staff for a successful meeting.
He also thanked the youth leaders for attending themeeting and reiterated that they should return homeand share the lessons from the conference withothers.

5.5.3 Dr Osita Ogbu
Dr Ogbu reminded the participants that HIV/AIDS
has led to crises in Africa in agriculture, employment
and the future of the continent of the continent is atstake. He urged the youth to be strong, share ideas
and be agents of change. He lamented the fact that
HIV/AIDS has not been treated like a public healthissue but as a private and secondary issue.

Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

47Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 1: CTA/ ATPS AFRICA REGIONAL YOUTH CONGRESS PARTICIPANTS LIST

BOTSWANA
1. Mr Orwell MAROBELA
Assistant Agricultural Research Officer
Department of Agricultural Research
P. O Box 0033
Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: 002673668164
Fax: 002673928900/965
Email: omarobela@gov.bw

6. Mr Zelalem WUDENEH
Senior Information Expert/Network Adminstrator
Ethiopian S&T Commission
P.O BOX 2490
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: 2511-511344 ext.232
Fax: 2511-524400
Email: zelalemwud@programmer.net
http//: www.zelalem.cjb.net

BURKINA FASO
2. Mr Sanou ISSOUF
Economiste
Federation Nationale des Organizations Paysannes(FENOP)
09 BP 977
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Tel: 226- 766-090-52
Fax: 226- 503-823- 25
Email: sissoufour@hotmail.com

GHANA
7. Mr Francis Kweku AMAGLOH
Teaching and Research Assistant
Department of Biochemistry& Biotechnology Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Kumasi, Ghana
Tel: 233-20-8249031
Email: kwekumaga@hotmail.com

CAMEROON
3. Mrs Tientcheu Djike BLANDINE
Assistant Researcher,
Institut de Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement(IRAD)/ MINRESI
P.O Box 2123,
Yaounde, Cameroon
Tel: 237-997-12-72
Fax: 237- 222 1847
Email: bltientcheu@yahoo.com
CONGO
4. Prof Roger Kizungu VUMILIA
Directeur de l’experimentation Agricole
Institut National pours l’Etude et la Recherche Agronomique(INERA)
Gombe, Kinshasa RD Congo
Tel: (00243) 815005837
Email: kizunguvumilia@yahoo.fr
Website: www.inera.org
ETHIOPIA
5. Mr Belay Fekadu BEREDA
African Centre for Economic and Historical Studies
P.O. Box 2490
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: 251-960-7060/ 980-1696
Email: belaynet@yahoo.com

48

8. Mrs Joyce AMOAKO
Scientific Officer/ Research Scientist
Water Research InstituteP.O Box AH 38
Achimota, Ghana
Tel: 233243727210
Email: jeamoako@yahoo.co.uk
9. Mr Avoxe William KODJO
Agricultural Engineering Department , KNUST
Kumasi, Ghana
C/o I.K Avoxe
Community 2 Police Barracks
Tema, Ghana
Tel: 233 (0)22215019
Email: williekodjo@yahoo.com
KENYA
10. Mr Andrew Ochieng ADWERAH
Assistant Researcher
African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)
P.O. Box 45917 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-27224712/2723447-300
Email: a.adwerag@cgiar.org
11.
Mr Ndolo ASASA
Programmes Officer
The Youth Agenda (YAA)
P.O. Box 10174 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-3870018

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Fax: 254-20-3878332
Email: ndoloasasa@yahoo.com
12.
Ms Elizabeth ATIENONational Co-ordinator
Maxfacta Youth GroupP.O BOX 30654-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-734-820897
Email: elizaatieno@yahoo.com
13.
Ms Lydia Olaka ATIENO
Outgoing Student, University of Nairobi
c/o Pan African Start Secretariat
P.O Box 30197
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-782181
Email: lydiaolaka@hotmail.com
14.
Dr Kevit DESAI
Director of Engineering
Centurion Systems Ltd.
P.O BOX 66031-00800
Nairobi,Kenya
Tel: 254-20-4440102/3
Mobile: 254-722-517067
Email: kevit@centurionsystemsltd.com
Website: www.centurionsystemsltd.com
37.
Mr Alex GACUHINational Coordinator,
ATPS Kenya Chapter
P.O BOX 30568
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-216947
Fax: 254-20-215349
Email: agacuhi@yahoo.com
15.
Mr Cindano Charles GAKURU
Legal Officer
Mt. Kenya Organic Farmers Association
P.O BOX 62292-00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2710791
Email: cindano@yahoo.com
16.
Ms Christine Muhonja KAMIDI
Student
Jomo Kenyattta University of Agriculture and Technology(JKUAT)
P.O. Box 62000
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2721244-021
Email: cmusibi@yahoo.com

17.
Mr Gabriel Amimo KAMIMO
Counselor
National Empowerment of People with HIV/AIDS in Kenya(NEPHAK)P.O Box 517-00605
Uthiru, Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-440516
Email: kamimos@ yahoo.com
38.
Mr Masila KANYINGI
Editor,Floritech News Agency
P.O BOX 28999
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-311050/558172
Fax: 254-20-322050
Email: masilakanyingi@yahoo.com

18.
Mr Patrick Kyalo KITUTA
Environmental Officer
Green Globe Foundation
P.O BOX 53732-00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-721-997876
Email: pkituta@yahoo.com
19.
Ms Rose Gakenia MACHARIA
Student
Kenyatta University
P.O. Box 50131 – 00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-620993
Email: rosegakenia@yahoo.com
20.
Mr Clerkson MAHAGAYU
Research Officer
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
P.O BOX 220
Njoro, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-818349/ 2724818-349
Email: malesicler@yahoo.com
karinjr@africaonline.co.ke
21.
Ms Laura M. MBURU
Chairlady
Kenyatta University Female Enhancement in Scienceand Technology (KUFESST)
Kenyatta University
P.O. Box 58243
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-721-923663
Email: Laura_mburu@yahoo.com

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49Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
22.
Mr Philip Mutuma MUNYA
Research Assistant
Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteP.O BOX 27-60100
Embu, Kenya
Tel: 254-68-20116
Email:mutumamus@yahoo.com
39.
Mr Mureithi MURIUKI
Chief Executive Officer,
Summit Strategies Ltd
Taranaki Court - Chania Avenue Kilimani Nairobi, Kenya
Mail P O Box 62454 City Square 00200
Tel: 254-20-575824
Mobile: 254-722-520090
email: mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke
23.
Ms Christine Ndunge MUTHOKA
Student
Department of Range Management
University of Nairobi
P.O. Box 29053
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-724-765388/723-584849
Email: cndunge@yahoo.co.uk
24.
Mrs Elizabeth OBANDA
Programme Manager
Africa NOW
P.O. Box 2514
Kisumu – Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-464365
Fax: 254–572-021181
Email: eobanda@africanow.org
25.
Mr Mohammed C. OBULIALIA
Chairman,
Nairobi University Range Management Students Society(NURMSS)
University of Nairobi
P.O. Box 29053
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-721-972961/ 735-716441
Email: mohacheng2000@yahoo.com
26.
Ms Emilly Akinyi OBUYA
Student
Kenyatta University
P.O. Box 72904
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-468961
Email: emakob@yahoo.com

50

27.
Mr Sospeter O. OHANYASurveyor
Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA),
Kenya
P.O. Box 49063 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-721-236928
Email: ohanyaso2000@yahoo.com
28.
Mr Vincent Otieno OKULLO
African Youth Parliament 5 Menelik Court Flats, Menelik Rd.
P.O BOX 67365-00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-3875968/
Mobile: 254-723-101077
Fax: 254-20-3875968
Email: mcokullo@yahoo.com.co.uk
Website: www.asrheastafrica.net
www.ayparliament.org
29.
Ms Caroline Akinyi SANDE
Counselor
National Empowerment of People with HIV/AIDS in Kenya(NEPHAK)P.O BOX 50194-00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-733-571838
Fax: 254-20-603589
Email: carolinesande@yahoo.co.uk
30.
Mr Michael Muriuki WAIGWA
Chairman
Nairobi University Agriculture Students Association (NUASA),
University of Nairobi
P.O Box 29053-00602
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-721-843429
Email: waigwamuriuki@yahoo.com
31.
Ms Constance Georgina WALYARO
President, National Campaign Coordinator
East Africa Focal Pint, Action Partner,
Citron Wood,Global Youth Coalition on HIV Aids,
Oxfam IYP/WSIS Youth Caucus RYNIC’s
P.O. Box 65092 – 00618
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-937702
Email: constancegeorgina@yahoo.co.uk
constance@youthaidscoalition.org
32. Mr Herbert WAMALWA
Training Manager
Shalom IT Center
P.O BOX 21255

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-484122/570873
Email: wnyukuri@yahoo.com
Website: www.shalomitcenter.co.ke
33.
Mr Juma WARRIA
Research Coordinator
I CHOOSE LIFE – AFRICA
P.O. Box 5166 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2730913/4/5
Fax: 254-20-2730914
Email: jwarria@yahoo.com
34.
Ms Faith Wanjiru WARUGURU
Coordinator (Founder)
Youth Agency in Development of Science Technology& Innovations (YADSTI)
c/o University of Nairobi
P.O. Box 30197
Nairobi, Kenya
Mobile: 254-722-399018
Email: shirufw@yahoo.com
35.
Prof Mirriam WEREThe Chair,
National Aids Control Council
The Chancery Building, 6th Floor Valley Rd
P.O Box 61307
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2711261/2715144
Fax: 254-20-2711072/2711231
NIGERIA36.
Ms Belinda Onyinye NDUBUISIDirector Programmes
Development Partnership International
15 Nza Street, Independence Layour.
Enugu State, Nigeria
Tel: 234- 803-400-5821
Email:onyinyendubuisi@developmentpartnership.org
Email: dnyildon@yahoo.com
37.
Mr Collins Mama NNANYELUGO
President, Students Union Govt.
University of Nigeria
C/o Dr. R. O. Mama
Department of Voc. Tech. Edu.
University of Nigeria,
Nsukka Enugu State, Nigeria
Tel: 080-375-537-60
Email: saintcollins@yahoo.com

38.
Ms Patience U. OBIAGELI
Student
Faculty of Agriculture, Soil Science dept.
University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, Nigeria
Tel: 080-574-608-78
Fax: 234 – 42 – 771709
Email: obyumeh@yahoo.com
39.

Mr Ngwoke Emeka VICTOR

Student Leader
Electrical Engineering
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Enugu State, Nigeria
Tel: 08030982612/ 042770333
Email: emvictoruk@yahoo.co.uk
MALAWI40.
Mr George KANTHITIAgricultural Economist
Chitedze Agricultural Research Station
P.O BOX 158
Lilongwe, Malawi
TEL: 26501707222
FAX: 26501707183
E-MAIL: gkanthiti@yahoo.co.uk
MOZAMBIQUE
41.
Mr. Leaonardo Carmona XERINDA
Research AssistantMinistry of Science and Technology,
Av, Marien Ngouambi 1200
Maputo, Mozambique
Email: Lxerinda@uem.mz
SENEGAL42
Mr Ndong NDIOGOU
Ingenieur au Genie Sanitaire et Environnnement
Doctorant eu Sciences de L’ingenieur Option Genie Electiquea L’ universite de Dakar
Dakar, Senegal
Tel: 002215197844
Email: ndong_ndiogou@yahoo.fr
43.
Mr Moussa SALL
Assistant de Recherché/ Agroeconomist
Institut Senegalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)
Macro Analysis Office BP 3120
Dakar, Senegal
Tel: 002219961152/002218322313
Fax: 002218322427
E-mail: gaban_sn2000@yahoo.fr gaban69@yahoo.com

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51Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
SIERRA LEONE44.
Mr Teddy Amara MORLAI
Researcher
Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone
C/o Computech Ltd. 22 Pultney Street
P.O BOX 602
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel: 232-22-240-301
Email: teddison80@yahoo.com
SOMALIA45.
Mr Abukar Husein HASSAN
Youth Technical Assistant
AGROVET
Mogadishu, Somalia
Tel: 252-159-2958
Fax: 252-121-9631
Email: taakow@hotmail.com
SOUTH AFRICA46.
Ms Titilayo Olujumoke AKINSANMI
Program Manager/ Global Facilitator WSIS Youth Causus
Schoolnet Africa 3rd Flr,The Braamfontein Centre, 23 JorissenSt.
Johannesburg, South Africa,
P.O. Box 31866, Braamfontein 2017
Tel: 27-113-392-300
Email: akinsanmi@schoolnetafrica.org
SUDAN
47.
Mr Adil Ahmed Abdallah
Investment Department Director
Department of Investment
Ministry of Science& Technology
Khartoum-Elamarat-ST17, SDC
Building, 4th Floor
Tel: 249183481584/80
Tel: 249912145281
Fax: 249183481583/76
SWAZILAND
48.
Mr Majola MABUZA
Agricultural Economist
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
P.O BOX 162
Mbabane, Swaziland
Tel: 2684042731 ext.2145
Fax: 2684040978
Email: mabuzam@gov.sz/lmabuza@yahoo.co.uk
TANZANIA
49.
Mr Joseph KIHEDU
Student
University of Dar-es-Salaam
Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania

52

Tel: +255744835648
Fax: +255222410114
Email: jkihedu@yahoo.com
50.
Mr George Lohelo MBOBOCI
Programme Coordinator DRC/
Interim Coordinator Tanzania
Aid for Development
P.O BOX 1135
Kigoma, Tanzania
Tel: +255741551605/748559278
Fax: +255282804703
Email: aidfordevelopment@excite.com
TOGO
51.
Mr Sedor Yao APEALIKE
Formateur/AssistantInades-Formation Togo
B.P. 12472
Lome-Togo
Tel: (228)9221201, (228)22592 16
Fax: (228)22592 17
Email: apealikes1@hotmail.com
Website: www.inadesto.org

UGANDA
52.
Ms Winnie ALUM
Research AssistantNational Agricultural Research Organization (NARO)-Bulindi
Agricultural Research and Development Centre (ARDC)
P.O Box 101 Hoima
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256(077)463831/+256071282813
Email-winnie_alum@yahoo.co.uk
53.
Mr Herbert LWANGA
Principal Investigator
Log’el Project
P.O. Box 71700
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-71-378101
Fax: 256-41-3341-560
Email: logelproject@yahoo.com
ZAMBIA
54.
Ms Sally CHIKUTA(Student – Agronomy)
University of Zambia
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel: 097-800899/095-774044
E-mail: sallychikuta@yahoo.com
ZIMBABWE55.
Mr Darlington NDLOVU
Research Assistant

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
IDA/OSERCS
159 2nd Street Ext. Corner Maarsdorp
Rd. Belgravia ,Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: 263-474 – 5800
Fax: 263 – 433 – 3345
Email: mthoniselwa@yahoo.com
JUDGES: Essay Competition
56.
Mr Charles NYIRO
Communications Officer
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
P.O. Box 30677 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-722- 4000
Fax: 254- 20- 722- 4001
Email: cnyiro@cgiar.org
57.
Mr Otula OWOUR
Communications Consultant,
African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF)
P.O BOX 76336
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 577935/561635
Email: dataease@swiftkenya.com
58.
Mrs Elizabeth Obel LAWSON
Scientific Assistant
Sub-Saharan Africa GroupInternational Plant Genetic Resources Institutec/o ICRAF
P.O. Box 30677
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel (direct): 254-20-7224514
Fax.: +254-20-722 4501
Email:e.obel-lawson@cgiar.org
Website: http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org

FIELD TRIP FACILITATORS
59.
Carol ANDREWSBusiness Projects Manager
Oserian Development Company Limited
Office Tel: 050 2030210 / 2021036
Office Fax: 050 2021035
E-Mail: carol.andrews@oserianflowers
60.
Maryanne MWANGI
Training Manager,
Oserian Development Company Limited
Office Tel: 050 20 30210/2021036
Office Fax: 050 2021035

CTA
61
Ms Judith Ann FRANCIS
Senior Programme Coordinator S&T Strategies
Agro Business Park 2, NL 6708 PW Wageningen, The
Netherlands
Tel: 31317467190
Fax: 31317460067
E-mail: Francis@cta.int
Website: http://knowledge.cta.int

ATPS SECRETARIAT
62.
Dr Osita OGBU
Executive Director
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Fax: 2714028
Email: oogbu@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
63.
Mr Kennedy AUKA
Finance &Administration Manager
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Fax: 2714028
Email: kauka@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
64.
Ms Sheila MAINA
Research & Training Manager
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Fax: 2714028
Email: smaina@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
65.
Ms Lily ADUKE
Communications and Outreach Officer
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Email: laduke@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
66.
Ms Carol THUKU
Senior Secretary
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100

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53Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Fax: 2714028
Email: cthuku@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
67.
Mr Maurice BOLO
Research Officer
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Email: mbolo@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
68. Ms Jean NG’ANG’A
InternCommunication & Outreach Department
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Email: jnganga@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org
69.
Ms Agnes K. RIMBERE
Research Assistant
African Technology Policy Studies Network.
P.O. Box 10081-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-2714092/ 2723800
Email: arimbere@atpsnet.org
www.atpsnet.org

54

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 2: CTA/ ATPS AFRICA REGIONAL YOUTH CONGRESS PROGRAMME
Day 1 – June 20, 2005
8:00 – 9:00
9:00 – 10:30
Chairman
9:00 – 9:10–

Registration
Opening Ceremony

9:50 – 10:00

Mr. Alex Gacuhi, National Coordinator, ATPS-Kenya Chapter
Welcome Remarks – Mr. Maurice Bolo, Research Officer, African Technology Policy
Studies Network (ATPS), Kenya
Remarks – Ms. Judith Ann Francis, Senior Programme Coordinator, Science andTechnology Strategies, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACPEC (CTA), The Netherlands
Remarks - Dr. Osita Ogbu, Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies
Network (ATPS), Kenya
Closing remarks – Mr. Alex Gacuhi, National Coordinator, ATPS- Kenya

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee Break

10:30 – 12:30
10:30 -11:30

12:15 – 12-30

Focus Essay Competition
Overview of Competition and Presentation of Awards – Head / Chief Judge – Mr. Otula
Owuor, Communications Consultant, African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum(ABSF), Kenya
Presentation of Top Three Essays
Mr. Phillip Mutuma Munyua, Research Assistant, Kenya Agricultural Research
Organization (KARI), Kenya
Ms. Muthoka Christine Ndunge, Student, Department of Range Management, Universityof Nairobi, Kenya
Ms. Winnie Alum, Research Assistant, National Agricultural Research Organization(NARO), Uganda
Discussion

12:30 -14:00

Lunch

14:00 - 17:30

Focus – Agriculture, Science Technology and Innovation for Employment andWealth Creation
Mr. Ndolo Asasa, Programme Officer, Youth Agenda, Kenya
Keynote Presentation: The role of Science, Technology and Innovation in Wealth and
Employment Creation. The prospects and challenges for youth in Africa - Dr. Kevit
Desai, Managing Director, Centurion Systems Ltd, Nairobi Kenya
Discussion

9:10 – 9:30

9:30 - 9:50

11:30 – 12:15

Chairman
14:00 – 14:30

14:30 – 14:45–

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55Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation

16:00 – 16:15

Keynote Presentation: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs):
Opening new frontiers for youth in Africa – Ms. Titi Akinsami, Program Manager,
Global Teenager Project, South Africa
Discussion
Utilization of ICTs in the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Africa: A casestudy of Internet use in the Kariobangi Light Industries in Kenya – Mr. Muriuki Mureithi,
Chief Executive Officer, Summit Strategies Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya
Discussion

16:15 – 16:30

Coffee Break

14:45 – 15:15

15:15 – 15:30
15:30 – 16:00

17:30 – 18:00

Focus – Agriculture, Science Technology and Innovation for Employment andWealth Creation / Modern & Indigenous Technologies
Mrs. B. L. Tientcheu Djike, Assistant Researcher, Nkolbission Regional
Research Center, IRAD, Cameroon
Agro-processing Technologies and Value Addition to Agricultural Products: The case ofsnail processing and employment/wealth creation in Ghana - Mr. Francis Kweku
Amagloh, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi,
Ghana
Indigenous Technologies and Wealth Creation: A case study – Mr. CindanoCharles Gakuru, Legal Officer, Mt. Kenya Organic Farmers Association, Kenya
Discussion

19:00 – 21:00

Cocktail Reception

Chairman–

16:30 – 17:00

17:00 - 17:30

Day 2 – June 21, 2005
8:30 – 13:00
Chairman

9:45 – 10:00

Focus – Agricultural Science, Technology & Innovation – Role of ICTS
Mr. Zelalem Wudeneh, Senior Information Expert, Ethiopia S&T Commission,
Ethiopia
Agricultural Biotechnology and Wealth Creation in Africa: Prospects for Youth: the caseof Tree Biotechnology Project in Kenya – Mr. Maurice Bolo, Research Officer, ATPS,
Kenya
Discussion
Role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity
and Wealth Creation in Africa: Practical applications in Kenya— Mr. Sospeter Ohanya,
Senior Survey Engineer, Tana River Development Authority (TARDA), Kenya
Discussion

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee Break

8: 30 – 9:00

9:00 – 9:15
9:15 – 9:45

56–

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
10:30 – 12:30

12:15 – 12:30

Focus – Creating the Environment for Science, Technology & Innovation for
Employment and Wealth Creation
Ms. Belinda Onyinye Ndubuisi, Director of Programs, Development Partnership
International, Nigeria
ACP Biotechnology Policy Brief / ACP Region must Harness Biotechnology for a Better
Future - Ms. Judith Ann Francis, Senior Programme Coordinator, CTA,The Netherlands
Discussion
Accessing Start-up Capital for Innovative Youth Projects in Uganda: The Case of L’ogel
Project – Mr. Herbert Lwanga, Principal Investigator, L’ogel Project, Kampala, Uganda.
Discussion

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 18:30

15:15 – 15:30

Focus – Youth Empowerment, Leadership and Engagement in Policy Making
Processes
Mr. Ndong Ndiogou, Centre Regional Pour L’Eau Potable et l’Assainis, Senegal
Science and Technology alone are NOT enough: Politics, policies and linkages for
S&T-led development in Africa: What role for the youth? Dr. Osita Ogbu, Executive
Director, ATPS, Nairobi Kenya
Discussion
Legal and Policy Support for Science and Technology in Africa: An audit of selected
East African countries – Mr. Ndolo Asasa, Program Officer, Youth Agenda, Kenya
Discussion

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee Break

16:00 – 18:00

Working Group Sessions
Group 1: Harnessing ASTI for Wealth and Employment Creation: Options and Elementsof an Action Plan
Group 2: Youth Empowerment and Participation in S&T Policy making processes:
Elements of an Action Plan
Group 3: Youth Leadership and HIV/AIDS Prevention: Elements of an Action Plan
Working Group Reports
Group 1: Harnessing ASTI for Wealth and Employment Creation: Options and Elementsof an Action Plan
Group 2: Youth Empowerment and participation in Policy making processes: Elementsof an Action Plan
Group 3: Youth Leadership and HIV/Prevention: Elements of an Action Plan

Chairperson–

10:30 – 11:00

11:00 – 11:15
11:15 – 11:45

Chairman
14:00 – 14:30

14:30 – 14:45
14:45 – 15:15

18:00 – 18:30–

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57Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Day 3 – June 22, 2005
8:30 – 12:30

10:00-10:30

Focus – Agricultural Science, Technology & Innovation – The Way Forward for
Africa’s YouthMs Lydia Atieno Olaka, MSc Student, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Opportunities for Innovative Grassroots Partnerships for Employment and WealthCreation in Kenya – Ms. Elizabeth Obanda, Project Manager, Africa NOW, Kisumu,
Kenya
Discussion
Bridging the Gender GAP in Agriculture Science, Technology and Innovation Educationin Africa – Employment and Wealth Creation - Prof. Levi Shadeya-M Akundabweni, Ag.
Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Discussion

10:30 – 11:00

Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:00

Focus – Youth Employment and Wealth Creation in Africa / Agriculture, Scienceand Technology: The way forward
Ms. Judith Ann Francis, CTA, The Netherlands
Working group reports and elements of the communiqué

Chairman
8:30 – 9:00–

9:00 – 9:30
9:30 – 10:00

Chairman–

12:00 – 13:30

Lunch/ Travel to Oserian Flowers Ltd

13:30 – 17:30

Field Trip: Oserian Flowers Ltd, Naivasha, Kenya
Coordinators: Faith Wanjiru, Youth Agency for the Development of Science,
Technology and Innovation (YADSTI) and Ms. Lydia Atieno Olaka, University of Nairobi

Day 4 – June 23, 2005
Focus – Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention
Chairman
8:30 – 9:00

9:00 – 9:15
9:15 – 9:45
9:45 – 10:00

58–

Mr. Darlington Ndlovu, Research Assistant, IDA/OSERCS, Zimbabwe
The Effects of HIV/AIDS on Youth Employment and Wealth Creation: Experiences from
Nigeria – Ms. Belinda Onyinge Ndubuisi – Development Partnership International,
Nigeria
Discussion
Keynote Presentation: Abstinence and Behaviour Change for the Youth: What Works?
Mr Juma Warria, Research Coordinator, I Choose Life-Africa, Kenya
Discussion

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
10:00 – 10:30
Chairman
10:30 – 11:00

Coffee Break-

11:15 – 11:45
11:45 – 12:00
12:00 – 12:30

Ms. Joyce Amoako, Scientific Officer, Water Research Institute, Ghana
Stigma, Attitude, Knowledge and Behavioural Change: The key pillars for arresting the
spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa –Gabriel Kamimo, National Empowerment of People Livingwith AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK).
Using ICTs to empower Africa Youth in the fight against HIV/AIDS - Mr. Eric Wainaina
Mungai, Oneworld International Ltd, Kenya
Discussion
Panel Discussion: Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya
Mr. Gabriel Kamimo - NEPHAK
Ms. Caroline Sande - NEPHAK
Ms. Elizabeth Atieno -Maxfacta

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 - 16:00

Panel discussion : Youth Leaders as Advocates for Change: Empowerment andCapacity Needs.
Prof. Rodger Kizungu, Directeur de l’experimentation Agricole (INERA),
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Panelists:
Dr. Osita Ogbu, ATPS
Ms. Judith Ann Francis, CTA
Juma Warria – I Choose Life-Africa, Kenya
Prof. Mirriam Were, NACC
Abdallah Adil Ahmed, Ministry of S&T - Sudan
Mrs. B. L. Tientcheu Djike, IRAD- Cameroon

Moderator-

16:00 - 16:30

Closing Ceremony

16:30 – 17:00

Tea/Coffee break

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59Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 3: ESSAY COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENTTOPIC: Tapping the Potential of Science, Technology and Innovation in Agri-food Chains in Africa – Creating
Employment & Wealth for Youths in Africa
CTA and ATPS are happy to announce an essay competition based on the above topic. The essay should explore
the following areas:• identify the critical obstacles facing the youth in the quest for employment and wealth creation in Africa• explore how agriculture, science, technology and innovation can be employed to overcome these obstacles• give practical proposals/suggestions on how to tap the potential of agriculture, science, technology andinnovation in agri-food chains in Africa.
NB: this section should include concrete recommendations and steps to be taken to address the issues of unemployment
Guidelines• The essay should be approximately 1,500 words in length, written in English and submitted in MS-Word(Font: Times New Roman, 12 points).
• The essay together with full curriculum vitae (CV) must be submitted as MS-Word attachments.
• Personal experiences/reflections: the use of personal experiences in creating employment opportunities
using science, technology and innovation in agriculture is preferred giving details of the science/technology employed, description of the problem solved, and the results/impact (number of people employed orsituations improved).
• The essays could also focus on the activities of an organization that is engaged in creating wealth andemployment opportunities by harnessing the powers of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) in theagri-food chains.
Eligibility• Youth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) aged between 18-30 years.
Judging Criteria
Essays will be evaluated on the basis of demonstrated understanding on the issues, quality of argument or analysis
and writing style.
Prizes• Sponsorship to the CTA/ATPS youth congress on “Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation: Opportunities
in Agriculture, Science and Technology” in June 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya. (Travel, accommodation, andsustenance paid)• Cash prize and certificates for the top 5 entrants• Essays to be published on the CTA/ATPS websites and other publications
Deadline
All essays and application materials must be sent through the following e-mail address youth@atpsnet.org no later
than 10 May, 2005.

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 4: ESSAY: Tapping the Potential of Science, Technology and Innovation in Agri-food Chains in
Africa: Creating Employment and Wealth for Youths in Africa

Winnie Alum
National Agricultural Research Organization
UgandaIntroduction
Over the last twenty years, the speed of change in the global economy has accelerated dramatically (Elshof P,
1998). There is no area in Africa’s development agenda that is not affecting the youth. One of the most dynamic
determinants of the path of economic growth and development is the age structure of the population and thequality of the labour force. Children and youth constitute more than 50 percent of the population of Africa, and this
proportion is increasing very fast, especially when we consider the early mortality of the adult population due to the
HIV/AIDS scourge. This means that more attention must be given to the youth as they are the only hope for Africa’s
future.
The high unemployment affecting young people is a pressing economic and social issue in both developed anddeveloping countries alike. The ILO estimates that the 74 million young women and men who are unemployedthroughout the world represent roughly two-fifths of all unemployed persons globally. In general, young people are
two to three times more likely than adults to be unemployed. In many economies, the youth are particularly
disadvantaged. Yet, the severity of the youth unemployment situation is understated.
An estimated 59 million young people between 15 and 17 years of age are currently engaged in hazardous formsof work and in many economies, the youth are particularly disadvantaged and of the young people who are employed, many are required to work long hours for low pay, often in the informal economy (Sachs, et al. - The
Geography of Poverty and Wealth) questioned why some countries are stupendously rich and others horrendously
poor? Social theorists have been captivated by this question since the late 18th century. As the world is trying toanswer this question, the chronic poverty in sub Saharan Africa caused by factors such as unemployment, wars,
ignorance and attitudinal behaviour worsens day by day, making the youth in Africa so vulnerable. This vulnerability
has resulted in hopelessness for many young people in Africa as many of them give up on the struggle for improving livelihoods and start indulging in criminal activities such as theft, murder, pornography, rebel activities, misuseof drugs and violence. However, there is still hope for Africa’s youth as their situation can still be rescued by promoting projects that are geared towards improving their living conditions through promotion of science, technology
and innovations. These can be initiated and sustained by the youth themselves. Science and technologies thatare simple to adopt to promote food security and yet not compromise income generating activities that bring cash
into the pockets of youths should be encouraged.

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61Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Critical obstacles facing the African youths in their struggle for employment and wealth creation
The youth in Africa are tirelessly struggling to come out of the chronic poverty in which they have lived since theycame into existence. However, despite their struggle, their efforts are constantly being frustrated by many stumbling
blocks. The fact that most people in Africa are still engaged in direct consumption or subsistence farming - local
production for local consumption “you eat what you grow” will still make the young people in sub-Saharan Africa
poor and unemployed. Most people seem to believe in the “hand to mouth theory” where they produce only what
their families can survive on and nothing is left for sale to generate some income which could be invested in otherbusinesses to create employment for youths in the family.
Low level of education
Due to the persistent poverty in many households in Africa, children never get to achieve good education which
gives them the competitive edge to secure employment or become entrepreneurs when they grow up. This low
level of education is also attributed to inability by most parents to pay tuition fees for their children so that they canreach a higher level where the qualification speaks for itself and opens doors. With the low level of education andno hope for survival, youths have been exploited as they take up any jobs that come their way. There have also
been cases where they are physically and sexually abused and they do not say a word in protest because theymust protect their jobs.
It is unfortunate that the sub-Saharan Africa which is inhabited by one of the world’s poorest lot has semi-arid land.
This has led to low productivity of agriculture which most African countries depends on for both food and job
security. This implies that, the little which is produced is also of poor quality and even if the produce surpluses
were there it would never attract high prices to increase earnings which can support reinvestment in anotherenterprise for further income generation.
Ignorance of modern agricultural practices is an obstacle facing the youth in their quest for employment. Most
youths are doing things they found their parents doing and hence the same results their parents always got areexactly what is being got. Agricultural productivity can never improve to the extent that it can become a source of
employment for youth and other jobless people as long as the hand hoe is the only tool being used. The out put
from this kind of practice is too low such that yields can be increased for produce to be offered for sale or evenstored to meet future food needs. Families starve due to lack of food making it very difficult for any young personfrom such a starving family to have enough confidence to walk out of the house to look for a decent job or start anenterprise. Hence they will always remain jobless and poor and incapacitated to create wealth.
Low attitude towards certain jobs
It has been proven that youths despise some jobs and call them “Local” most of these despised jobs are agriculturally and manually related. The youth prefer the so called white collar jobs where one sits in an office and uses themachines to ease the work load other than going out to the field for research work or practicing agriculture. The
youth have also labeled some jobs to be for rural and un-educated people and when offered such jobs such as
experimenting with farmers, most of them would prefer to remain unemployed than use his or her degree in thevillage or mix with the “uneducated farmers” through farmer participatory research approach. This kind of arrange-

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
ment has left many young people in Africa jobless and roaming the streets of many cities in search of “good jobs”
which they cannot get due to the stiff competition for such jobs.
Lack of timely and reliable information about the available jobs is a critical obstacle to youth employment andwealth creation in Africa. The poor young people who are fresh from universities and colleges have no access to
information about the existing jobs because they are too poor to access job related information from the media in
which these jobs are advertised. Related to this, the vulnerability caused by poverty has made many youth desperate that most of them wake up in the morning and walk long distances in search of employment. This has caused
their health conditions to deteriorate, due to stress, starvation on the streets as they search for jobs, further contributing to low self esteem and frustration.
After the long struggle of job searching and getting one, the youth in Africa have no job security. Since these areyoung people still in the “morning” of their lives and careers they lack experience and yet they are not given thetime to gain experience on job. When the employer discovers that the young person is just learning on the job, hesacks him /her. This prolongs the trend of unemployment for the youth in Africa since they are so poor and defenseless without money. They simply give up in frustration and are not willing to do anything towards wealth creation
due to lack of capital to invest in the business, which they may have thought of engaging in.
It is also common that the youth are under paid. This is because in their search for the job they appear to be
desperate and in the end, the employer may offer the job with a lower salary and yet the work is very tedious and / orthey must work under hazardous conditions with greater risks of accidents, chronic sicknesses, and stress or evenat worse death.
Corruption has also proved to be one of the serious obstacles to youth employment and wealth creation. The
young people who have not yet saved any income to invest in developmental activities are often faced with corruption at every level of their lives. It is common to find that if a young person applies to tender to supply goods andservices to an organization at the same time as a more established person or firm, the competitor may bribe theorganization or due to their track record, win the tender while the poor youth who has nothing to offer, nor theexperience, loses the opportunity. This has affected the efforts of the young people as they are not motivated toinvest because of the seemingly rampant corruption in Africa.
In countries where there are wars going on like in the northern part of Uganda, getting a job is a big challenge tomany youth. The rebel attacks scare away the people and they all camp together where there is no land to farm, nomoney to buy whatever is being sold and no hope of getting any enterprise to invest in as there is no capital for startup. The number of people searching for employment therefore becomes too many as the population of theunemployed increases and is concentrated in one refugee camp making the jobs even scarcer.
Bulindi Agricultural Research and Development Centre, (our way of creating employment for the ruralcommunities and enhancing food security)
Agriculture employs more than 80% of the sub-Saharan African population. In Uganda, the National Agricultural
Research Organization whose major goal is to contribute to sustainable improvement of agriculture by conducting
relevant research to eradicate poverty and improve the livelihoods of the rural poor has employed many tools andapproaches including agriculture, technologies, science and innovation to create employment for the rural
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63Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
communities. Bulindi Agricultural Research and Development Centre is one of the twelve research centres under
National Agricultural Research Organization making this strategy for improving peoples‘ livelihoods effective. The
research centre achieves this goal through many ways and steps which can also be adopted to create employment and wealth for youths in Africa because this is being applied to both youth groups and any other organizedcommunity groups and this has been successful to date. Below are the steps we practically use to create employment and enhance food security for the rural communities with which the research centre work.
Group identification and selection
It is believed that for any effort, aimed at achieving community development to be effective, it has to be channeledthrough an organized group of people. This is because innovations can easily be promoted in an already focusedgroup of people who share some common objectives. With this belief ingrained in the institution’s policy, a searchfor competent groups in the communities is usually launched to identify groups which have strong links with therest of the community which later will be used to scale out the findings of whatever activities the research centre
may want to do with the groups. Before the scientists from the research centre can move out to identify the groups
to work with, a needs assessment survey is carried to find out whether what the centre wants to take out to thecommunity is really what the community members want. In many societies in which this needs assessment survey
was conducted, findings revealed that, there was high unemployment due to illiteracy and all the problems associated with job seeking mentioned above. Another common finding is that there is inadequate food in most households, lack of income due to lack of capital to invest in income generating activities and general ignorance about
what type of enterprise the community should invest in to reduce unemployment and food insecurity in the community.
When the problem has been identified and the groups through which the development or the solution is to bechanneled are selected, the groups are then taken through a process of community participatory diagnosis andvisioning. Community participatory diagnosis is an interactive process of building rapport with the community andconfidence by holding dialogue with them, discussing various facts about the area and their livelihood. It is aimed
at creating a better understanding of community livelihood assets, opportunities and strategies that form basis
where future activity plans and interventions can be developed to improve the community’s livelihood. The process
involves a visioning exercise that challenges farmers to reflect much longer into the future than in day to day
problem solving. Various tools are used to collect basic information about the area which is meant to lead into
enterprise development process. The output of this activity is to generate a range of baseline data about thecommunity so that hope is restored into peoples‘ hearts. This hope is restored when people discover through thisactivity the major assets in their communities that can be used to create employment for the community members
and also through effective utilization of the communities’ resources, food insecurity which is so common in thecommunities is avoided. This exercise also brings out the constraints in the community which may hinder foodproduction and development of income generating enterprises.
The main purpose of identifying constraints to development in the community is to make members aware of themand together brain storm on the possible solutions or coping mechanisms. The process of community diagnosis
moves hand in hand with community visioning. Visioning makes the community look in the future and imagine
what they would love to have in the near future and in the long run to call whatever activity they are involved in a

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success. Community members can be facilitated to look into the future by giving a time frame and imagine all thegood things they would love to have say in 3-6 years‘ time if they get involved in an activity which will utilize theresources that the community has developed through their own initiative. This sounds like a dream that can easily
become true and it excites people, putting them in the mood to work so that they can realize their dreams. It isbelieved that before one does some thing, it must first be thought about, visualized and planned before one isprompted to do it.
The process of community participatory diagnosis and visioning leads to identification of activities to be done sothat the dreams of having cows, permanent buildings and all the good things that any normal human being candream about can come true. Since inadequate food poses a very serious threat to the livelihood of many households, the community is guided to select three major food crops which are important to them in fighting famine.
The community is also guided to select crops, livestock and any other activities that to them can be promoted forincome generation. At a later stage, a few selected group members are facilitated to undertake market research toconfirm the income enterprises selected.
Experimental design
To experiment on the selected food crops could have been selected, the experimentation committee is thenselected so that the different varieties of crops are tried on different soil types using the same treatments. The
committee is selected to do this experiment because of the scarcity of the planting materials which in most cases
are not enough to be given to all the group members and because of the uncertainty of how the crops would
perform. As a subsidy, the research centre provides the groups with improved seeds and other planting materials of
the crops selected for food security. The experimentation of these crops is done for three seasons and together
with the rest of the group members the experimenting committee monitors and evaluates the varieties against theirown varieties. After evaluation, the community then selects the best alternative that suits their ecological system for
multiplication and dissemination.
These new technologies are usually high yielding and have short maturity period. The youth would be attracted tothese new technologies as they take a few weeks to mature and yet the harvest is high. The low yielding and latematuring varieties that seem to discourage the youth from practicing agriculture as an alternative employment
venture is then replaced. More youth who are unemployed willingly join during this farmer participatory research.
They are willing to share both their academic and indigenous knowledge in agricultural practices as they mix
freely with the research scientists and eventually take up agriculture as an employment and income generating
venture. This does not only solve the problem of unemployment but also boosts food security in many households
which are currently starving due to lack of food caused by poor and low yielding crop varieties that most households are busy struggling to multiply to no avail.
Incorporating indigenous technical knowledge into agricultural production
It was noted with concern that most youths and the entire community who could have successfully practiced andpromoted agriculture through use of traditional agricultural practices shy away because they seem to think that thepractice is local. The research centre has popularized the use of indigenous technical knowledge in agricultural
production. The local botanicals like ash, red pepper, tobacco dust and urine are some of the traditional pestiOpportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention

65Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
cides used to prevent damage of produce and crops. It has been proven that red pepper and ant hill soils canpreserve produce for at least eight months which is good enough for an individual to have had time to identify
markets, crops were for sale and for food, the new harvests would have been out of the fields.
Participatory market research is one of the ways that the centre employs to ensure that the community selects thebest income generating enterprise as a confirmation of the crops and livestock selected during the participatorycommunity diagnosis. Just like in the experimentation of food crops committee, where members are selected toexperiment, in the same way, a market committee who can conduct a guided market visit to explore market
opportunities, information and then give a feedback to other members is selected. This market visit enables themto make informed choices on the enterprise that will be further developed for the identified markets. It also helps
the community to produce what is being demanded in the market and not try to sell what they have produced. The
selected market committee is given a task to explore other market opportunities found in the visited market outlets
outside the initial enterprise list. The committee then brings the feed back to the rest of the group members who
did not go for the market visit the information about the market opportunities found. This leads to the selection of anenterprise for income generation based on the information got from the market about different commodities.
Cost benefit analysis
This is done to help the poor communities and job seekers who are already financially constrained start with anenterprise that is relatively cheaper. At this stage of the enterprise development, the community is advised to use
locally available materials to reduce the cost of production. This however does not mean that, the freely available
materials are not being considered as important. It is advised that the community costs every thing so as to determine how much profit the enterprise is generating assuming that all the materials were bought.
Capacity building of the groups
This is done through training in group strengthening, soil fertility management, marketing skills, record keeping
and cross cutting issues such as environment and HIV/AIDS. The purpose for these trainings is to make thesegroups community change agents which are there to scale out the developmental innovations and technologies.
Popularization of agricultural technologies
This is usually done through the media to advertise newly released technologies by outlining all its attributes. Useof farmer groups who have already adopted the new technologies to share the information about the new technologies is also important to see to it that the whole community is aware and are willing to adopt these technologies.
With this kind of arrangement, peoples‘ attitude towards agriculture as a low profile job is reduced and even the
youth seeing that agriculture has become one of the enterprises attracting the government‘ and the donors‘
attention have chosen to form themselves into groups so as to get help to practice modernized agriculture andhelp in the dissemination of new technologies, hence increasing job opportunities for the youth and reducing thethreat of food insecurity in many communities.
Commercialization of agricultural produce
Besides the production of agricultural produce for home consumption only, more attention has been diverted tocommercialization of the crops produced. The newly released high yielding crop varieties have caused many
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households to produce more than usual and due to poverty and lack of capital to invest in other lucrative enterprises, the food surpluses are sold to urban communities to boost their income. This move to commercialize
agricultural products and linking farmers to microfinance to access loans to increase their production capacity
have changed the mind of many people who used to think that agriculture and all its related practices are for thepoor and local people and not worth investing in. Farmers are now accessing loans to produce enough crops
both for home consumption and for sale so as to generate some income for the households.
It has also been noted that most people do not take agriculture as an income generating enterprise because they
are ignorant about the market opportunities. The research centre after identifying the groups to work with, selectionof the food crop options, selection of income generating enterprises and linking producers to services that canboost production, forges ahead to link producers to potential buyers. This is done to encourage producers to takeagriculture as a potential income generating enterprise which one can invest in and make money like any otherenterprises. As mentioned above, the idea of linking producers to the market is to ensure that they produce what isbeing demanded in the market and produce what they can sell. Once the community sees that the organizedgroups are benefiting in all these ways, more members mobilize themselves into groups and start demanding
services that can help them practice modernized agriculture to improve their livelihoods. This is a win/win
situation.
Identifying the researchable issues
As all the above processes are going on, research scientists and the group members identify research issues
arising from the experiments and the interaction of the scientists with the community. As the scientists get to know
the community members well and a rapport is built, the community members start confiding in them and mentioning what they like and do not like about the newly introduced technologies. Through this interaction, issues worth
researching come up which scientists can further look into as a way forward to improve on new technologies andidentify gaps in technology adoption. As research is done on these identified research problems, technologies are
improved and become popular for adoption, hence attracting more people in agriculture to reduce poverty andfood insecurity.
Encouraging innovations
Communities in most cases ignore the resources that are locally available that could be of great importance inenterprise development. It is important that efforts are geared towards making people using the cheap or evensome times free materials that can be used in income generation. An enterprise like brick making needs mainly
local materials and yet mud bricks make even more beautiful houses than the concrete blocks that many people
would love to invest in as an income generating enterprise and yet the start-up capital is not affordable by many
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is no area in Africa’s development agenda that is not affecting the youth. A youthful population
offers many economic advantages-in terms of a dynamic aggregate supply of labour, with all its implications for
macroeconomic management, opportunities for mass production and hence industrial development-enhancing
economies of scale in production, and a buffer for social security and pension systems. Attention and policies must

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67Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
therefore be directed to activities and innovations that can create employment for the youth and promote foodsecurity in communities. Even as there is need to create employment and promote Agri-food production andconsumption, critical issues like; the depletion and contamination of natural resources, pollution and food contamination as the drive towards food preservation, use of improved production technologies and processes, as wellas products aimed at increasing agricultural yields and facilitating food conservation can also have significant
environmental consequences if not properly managed. Even as efforts are being geared towards creating employment and enhancing food security, bio-safety and food safety are also important issues related to Agri-food production, processing and consumption. However, employment and wealth can be created by facilitating group formation, testing of technologies before adoption, identifying market opportunities, linking groups to microfinanceinstitutions and input providers so that as a group their access to such services is eased and costs reduced, thus
making them enjoy economies of scale which boosts both food security and income generation.
References
2000 – United Nations Environment programme. Sustainable Agri - Food production and Consumption
Forum
Aide-Mémoire. June 2004. Strategies for Creating Urban Youth Employment:
Solutions for Urban Youth in Africa
Mr. Robert Okello, 7th Ethiopian Youth Forum - Youth and Unemployment (2005 Speeches)Paul Elshof, Globalization and Restructuring in the Agri-Food Sector Food World ResearchConsultancy, Amsterdam, Netherlands. November 1998
National Environmental Management Authority, the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA)
Jeffrey D. Sachs, Andrew D. Mellinger, and John L. Gallup (The Geography of Poverty and Wealth68

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Annex 5: ESSAY: Tapping the Potential of Science, Technology and Innovation in Agri-food Chains in
Africa: Creating Employment and Wealth for Youths in Africa
Muthoka Christine Ndunge
Dept of Range Management, University of Nairobi
P.O Box 29053-00602 Nairobi, Kenya
Introduction
Most of the countries in Africa, especially those in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, are experiencing profoundsocio-economic and political problems. These include unemployment, food insecurity, and disruptive conflicts.
The high rate of population growth, relative to the growth of the economies, presents many challenges for thenational governments. The challenges are not only the conservation and management of the environment as aresult of loss of the productive capacity of soils and deforestation, but also pressing socio-economic issues suchas inadequate health and education services and high unemployment.
Science, technology and innovation are interlinked. Economists have identified technical progress as the single
most important determining factor for achieving sustained economic growth of a country or region. For example,
North America and Western European countries are referred to as developed economies because of the advances
they have made in scientific and technological research, not only in agriculture and natural resources management, but also in fields of medicine, engineering and electronics, and more recently in information and communications technology.
Importance of Agriculture
Despite the fact that most African governments have declared that agriculture forms the basic engine of economic
growth, it is very unfortunate that those pronouncements are often not backed by clear economic policy support or
guidance. A review of the agricultural sector in the last decade shows that the region has been facing perpetual
staple food deficit and that most African states are net staple food importers. This adversely affects the tradebalance and the overall balance of payments of most states. It also deprives most of them of the scarce foreignexchange which could be better spent on providing essential services such as health and education.
Several south-east Asia countries that were at the same level of development as SSA countries in the 1960s were
propelled by the Green Revolution, to become fairly advanced in science and technology as evidenced by theirindustrial growth, food security situation and relatively low unemployment rates in the last two decades. However,this has not been the case for the SSA countries, mainly because the Green Revolution did not take place in Africa.
Therefore agricultural growth and development are crucial to SSA countries for overall economic and social
development.
In the year 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration stating eight Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) to be reached by 2015. All MDGs are related to sustainable reduction of poverty in its broadest
sense. The reduction of rural poverty through addressing issues of improving food security and household income,

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69Youth and Employment/Wealth Creationis addressed in MDG 1. Most organizations operating in the field of international development co-operation, e.g.,
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), World Bank, European Union, Department for International
Development, Food and Agricultural Organization, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation(CTA), etc., consider agricultural development in SSA to be the engine for rural poverty reduction. Gains need to bemade not only in improving household food security, but also in raising rural incomes.
Obstacles facing the youth in employment and wealth creation
Several factors could be attributed to the lack of employment opportunities and the poor potential for wealthcreation in Africa. The high rate of population growth, which is not matched with the rate of economic development, is the single most significant factor in many countries. Given that most economies rely on basic agricultural
production, very few jobs are created due to poor and slow industrial development.
Poorly developed markets and marketing infrastructure also contribute to unemployment. Rural areas where
agricultural production takes place are poorly linked to the urban areas due to poor road networks. Post harvest
handling and processing facilities are lacking or inadequate and the limited knowledge on small-scale post
harvest handling and processing result in high wastage of perishable produce before delivery to markets. This
greatly discourages production, and leads to loss of opportunities for self-employment and income generation
within the rural areas.
Lack of investment in the rural areas has led to many youth migrating to urban areas in search of jobs that do notexist. The high poverty level often result in youth with “potential brains” for leading technological development,
dropping out of school or if they receive education, owing to lack of jobs, migrating to developed countries (brain
drain).
In most African colleges and universities, the education system is not effective or not very relevant to the needs of acountry. For example in agricultural training, there is disproportionate focus on farming for subsistence i.e. to meetjust basic food and nutritional needs as opposed to economic or business-oriented production, or the productionof raw materials for export with little or no value adding. In the sectors of natural resources management e.g.
wildlife, often no strategies are put in place to generate benefits for the local communities.
Poor political leadership and governance in most African countries have often resulted in civil strife. Nepotism andtribalism, which are said to be rampant in most governments, do not provide a conducive environment for attracting both local and foreign investment, which are a prerequisite for employment and wealth creation. Where civil
strife occurs, communities are displaced, robbed of their livelihoods and in most cases made destitute. The
significant mineral and other natural resources in Africa are therefore not providing benefit for the youth and all thepeople.
Role of agriculture, science and technology in employment and wealth creation
In most SSA countries, the agricultural sector contributes up to a third of the gross domestic product, and much
more through linkages with manufacturing, distribution and service-related sectors. Moreover, a large proportion of
the population lives in rural areas and depends mainly on agriculture for livelihood. Scientific research plays a key

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creationrole in creating new products or new and/or more appropriate techniques of production. This in turn provides
employment and creates wealth. Two examples from Kenya to support the argument are illustrated here.
Tissue culture bananas have created new markets and new lives in central Kenya. Over the last two decades,
banana production in Kenya and the rest of East Africa has been on the decline, mainly due to lack of clean
planting material. Traditional methods of banana propagation perpetuated the problem of diseases and pests.
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, local universities and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) researchers developed tissue culture banana, which is not only clean, but also highpropagation capacity that provides large numbers of plantlets within a short time and take a short time to produce
fruit. Many farmers have therefore benefited from the technology and now are producing enough, as both food cropand a cash crop. Working with commercial distributors, several hundreds of thousands of plantlets have been
supplied. ISAAA also has provided a micro credit scheme for dissemination of tissue culture banana to smallholder
farmers. Other agencies should be encouraged to provide similar technical and financial opportunities if Africa’s
technological development is to be assured.
Machakos district in eastern Kenya is semi-arid and has proved to be a challenging testing ground for innovativetechnologies in rain-fed farming. Water harvesting and soil conservation technologies have resulted in a tenfold
increase in land productivity. Through soil and water conservation, minimum tillage, improved crop varieties, andagro forestry, farmers have efficiently utilized the scarce rainfall to increase land productivity. Population growth andeducation have also been a driving force for the agricultural intensification, because adoption of these practices
required additional and skilled labour. Access to markets for the mainly horticultural produce and the availability of
external inputs also provided impetus to stimulate growth and development.
Tapping the potential of agriculture, science, technology and innovation in agri-food chains
An effective tertiary education system in agriculture and natural resources management would contribute enormously to rural development. For the education system to be effective, the structure, content and delivery mechanisms for educational programmes must be linked to social and economic development needs. African colleges
and universities should change their training programmes especially by improving relevance and quality. This canbe done by involving the various stakeholders in curricula review and development, especially policy makers,
farmers, industrialists and the private institutions that contribute to employment creation. Much focus should be put
on value addition and development of entrepreneurial skills.
Researchers should develop and disseminate technologies for increased agricultural productivity and soundnatural resource management or utilize the benefits offered by the emerging technologies including informationand communication technology, and safe use of biotechnology.
Labour intensive investments should be encouraged to take advantage of the large pool of workforce available.
Labour and investment experts have shown that labour employment in developing economies is more profitablecompared to equipment-intensive approaches. There is also the advantage of creating jobs, therefore reducing
poverty, with the additional advantage of being less costly.
Formulation of development projects that are sustainable, appropriate and have the support of the stakeholders isnecessary. Past interventions to increase production and create employment, for example large-scale irrigation
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71Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
projects, have not been very successful. Such large-scale projects have often left a trail of negative environmental
impacts that have discouraged further development. Small-scale, land-user-oriented innovations such as rainwater harvesting can offer sustainable solutions to chronic food insecurity and create employment.
The SSA governments should translate their political commitment to agricultural development into concrete
actions by providing the necessary resources and creating an enabling policy and institutional environment, suchas credit and micro-finance, research and extension services, supply of quality inputs and capacity building. On
the other hand, the international investor community should coordinate its efforts, and significantly increase andsustain financial support for African agricultural research.
The international agricultural research system, including the CGIAR Centers and advanced research institutions,should forge more effective and efficient partnerships with African National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS)
and achieve greater programmatic integration. The CGIAR System has to ensure that the proposed changes inprogram, governance structure, and funding mechanisms are consistent and reinforce our efforts to achieve theAfrican vision.

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 6: ESSAY: Tapping the Potential of Science, Technology and Innovation in Agri-food Chains in
Africa: Creating Employment and Wealth for Youths in Africa
Phillip Mutuma Munyua,
Research Scientist,
Kenya Agriculture Research Institute, Kenya.
An African youth could be defined as a young male or female aged between ages 18-35 years who has modest tohigh formal education, a winning personality with great potential of turning around every quagmire (as exists inmost African states today) into potential havens of opportunities.
However, most youths in question are poor. Poor because they face the very structural challenges that keep themfrom getting the first foot on the ladder of development and not that they are lazy, no! The challenges faced by the
youths range from the inability to access very basic necessities such as:•••

Clean water;
Productive soils; andProper health care and education

The above challenges can be narrowed down and linked to the lack of productive soils and capital which are not
only essential for leading a dignified life and being healthy but also make the economy work. Productive soils canbe considered the basis of poverty alleviation and overarching all other major challenges. With meals on the tablefrom the productive soils and enough to spare to earn income, one can access clean piped water for the homestead, educate the dependants, afford proper health care and provide adequate shelter.
To achieve the above, proper structural procedures need to be followed in implementing any agri-food project or
any other project to be successful:••••

Proper planning;
Setting up of good systems;
Mutual accountability by all stake-holders and;
Having proper financial mechanism.

Kithoka passion fruits project is a success story of such an initiative undertaken by public-private partnership in
Meru Central and Embu districts in Kenya and I am fully involved. The project uses science, technology andinnovation in tapping the potential of passion fruits in the central highland for the benefits of the locals in the area.
The access of micro and small enterprises to business services offered by the private sector for identification andremoval of constraints that inhibit commercial viability are well addressed in the project. Also addressed are theagronomical aspects of growing the fruits in addition to the marketing and distribution aspects. The initial problem
addressed by the proposal was the acknowledgement that many farmers lacked the knowledge of proper farming
Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention73Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
systems and had not fully transformed the management of their farms from a subsistence undertaking to a marketoriented one because of lack of capacity. Currently some farmers are making “good” money (some up to shs 50
000/= per month) through that initiative. (See Sunday Nation/May 8, 2005 page 17 under “the passion fruit comesin handy”).
One farmer who has benefited from the project is the 30-year-old Kinyua. Kinyua who has a modest education, ismarried to a 24-year-old woman and has 3 children at primary school level. Kinyua has a 2 acre farm with pipedwater and has all along been farming at a subsistence level. All the earnings are used to feed the family and healso works on contract to meet their other needs. However, since the project was initiated Kinyua joined a groupwhich raised some capital and established their own plant nursery which was large enough to cater for theirseedling requirements. This was achieved after intensive training. Each farmer in the group received 200 vines,
planted on ¼ acre land and managed the crop as per the training. After 7 months each farmer started earning an
average gross of Shs 9 300 per month. (Shs.14 000-peak and Shs 7 000-off-peak).
For Kinyua, lack of the basic needs became a thing of the past as he is able to cater for all his family’s needs andstill have surplus, thanks to the new project. Using a similar approach, the following science and technology
based innovative proposal that I am currently pursuing can contribute to creating employment and wealth for the
youths in Africa.
The proposal is about the introduction of yet another potential but unexploited crop, the grain amaranth which
focuses on first finding markets before rolling out the project. The expected outputs are enormous and feasible.
THE PROPOSAL
Sustainable Livelihood Improvement through Promotion of Grain Amaranth in Meru Central District
Introduction
Meru Central Districts is situated in the Central highlands regions which receive sufficient rainfall. The district falls
under the mandate region of KARI-Embu.
KARI-Embu organization
KARI-Embu is a regional research institute mandated with the development of agricultural technologies throughadaptive, applied and on-farm research of improved crop and livestock practices geared towards diversifying
production systems hence alleviating poverty through improved quality-livelihood. Poverty levels are alarming andare of great concern in the world today. KARI develops and disseminates technologies in collaboration with otherstakeholders, which contribute to sustainable improvement of livelihood for majority of farmers in the rural areas
where poverty niche is very high.

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
The region
Farmers in the said district fall in the UM1 and UM2 zones that are suitable for coffee and tea farming. However,
due to the recent global recession, inflation and depressed incomes from these cash crops, the incomes haveseriously been affected resulting in escalating levels of poverty. As such there is need to search for an alternative
source of income. Intensification of fruit crops and horticultural products has not yielded reasonable remedy to thisproblem due to the high cost of chemicals and poor market for the produce. Farmers continue to be poor. Therefore, it is prudent that we introduce a more sustainable crop to farmers like the amaranth seed.
Amaranth seed
Amaranth seed is a newly introduced but locally adapted cereal that is in great demand for export and also for
local market (as cereal, flour making and popcorn production). Moreover, the thinned leafy vegetables are consumed as vegetables and the harvested residues are used as animal feed. Initially locals utilized Amaranth asvegetables. It was also used as fodder for animals. Amaranth is easily adaptable to different environmental conditions and is tolerant to most pests and diseases thus requiring fewer chemicals. This reduces the high costs ofpurchasing them. Amaranth therefore, can contribute to improving the livelihoods of most rural farmers who haveadequate irrigation and good crop husbandry knowledge.
Broad objective
To introduce and promote amaranth seed production by small-scale framers through improved crop husbandry
and market.
Specific objectives
1.
Train farmers on propagation and field management skills
2.
Link farmers to market outlets
3.
Establish demonstration plots for farmers to learn
4.
Provide regular backstopping measures to participating farmers
Methodology
Training of farmers will be carried out after identification of groups and new groups formation. Training will be onfarm and on-station.
Groups identification
Serious farmer groups who use irrigation methods will be identified and registered for the project and training
programmes. This will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture extension staff who keep suchrecords.
Groups formation
New groups will also be formed by a KARI managed field extensionist, to be recruited as the ground coordinator.
There will be 4 coordinators in every district each manning focal areas. The district will be divided into 4-focal
areas. Each extensionist will be required to form/or work with 25 groups each with a membership of at least 30
members. All the groups have to be registered with the relevant ministry department.
Opportunities in Agriculture, Science & Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention75Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Demonstration plots
One demonstration plot in each district will be set up for purposes of training farmers as well as demonstrating thebest crop husbandry. The plots will be set in such a way that a new crop will be planted in the field on a fortnightly
basis such that both the individual or groups of farmers who tour the sites will be able to see the various stages ofcrop development and learn the care involved at each stage. One KARI staff will always be based at each demonstration plot. Established farmer-groups will also identify a centrally located member whose farm will be selected to
set up a demonstration plot for individual farmer groups to learn.
Actual training
0n-farm training of farmers
Training of farmers at field level and training of trainers will be the biggest part of this project. Emphasis will be puton hands-on training in the field. This will include the Ministry of Agriculture staff. KARI team will always train
farmers in their localities. They will also be involved in regular backstopping through monitoring what farmers are
doing and providing remedial measures in case there are problems.
On-station training of farmers
Groups of farmers as well as individual farmers will be trained at the established demonstration plots, which will
always be manned by a KARI technical staff.
Linking farmers to market outlets
KARI together with other stakeholders will hold joint forums that will inform farmers of the already existing market
for amaranth seed. This will serve to motivate farmers who have been having problems with accessing markets formost of their produce. Seeds will be provided using the market link person.
Promotion/Market Campaign
Promotion and marketing of the new amaranth seed production will be done to increase demand and encourage
the farmers who would wish to start the grain production. This will be done using the following methods:
1. Direction signboards will be placed in strategic positions to direct farmers to the demo sites.
2. Pamphlets on grain production will be prepared to aid farmers on the crop production.
3. Articles on the crop will be put in the local (regional) newspapers as a motivator to would be interested
farmers
4. Appraisal meetings will be announced in most listened fm stations.

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Work Plan for the Proposed Activities
Activity

Time frame (month)
1
2
3
4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Recruitment and training of support staff (Field
extensionists and MoA staff)
Group identification and formation and on-farmtraining
Establishment of demonstration plots
On-station training
Linking farmers to market outlets
Erection of direction sign boards
Pamphlets preparation
Articles publication in local press

Expected output
1.
Knowledge gained on the grain amaranth propagation and field management.
2.
Improved monthly income of at least Shs 12 500.
3.
Extra option for the food range for both animals and humans.
4.
Improved livelihood for at least 3000 framers.
5.
Job opportunity for 6 coordinators and extension officers.
With such quantifiable expected outputs jobs and wealth can be created for many youths in Africa and the perception that white-collar jobs are the only paying ones can be done away with.

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77Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 7: Testimony on HIV/AIDS, by Elizabeth Atieno, Maxfacta

My name is Elizabeth Atieno, a Kenyan lady 27 years of age. I have been living
positively since I was infected. I was sure of the person who infected me since I
used to donate blood every year and also because I used to test myself. I thought
he was okay health wise but I was wrong because I didn’t even go for testing due
to ignorance.
I used to blame him. I was going crazy and even reported him to the police. I
went to see the pastor and told him that I tried to take my life but for some reason
I didn’t die. It was God’s miracle. Since that time I had given up hope of living. I
didn’t eat or bath for a week but after the visit to the pastor I decided to live again.
I joined a support group, I was amazed to find many people living positively but I
later began coping with the situation.
I decided to cooperate with the other youths who were infected like me and formed a youth groups of positivethinking youth because we didn’t want to infect other HIV negative persons. In our support group we discussed
issues affecting us, such as the challenges we faced. Some people who are affected help us fight the stigma
through communication campaigns. We started the project in the year 2003, by contributing money every month.
I also work with International Youth, the global network of people living with HIV/Aids and am also a youth representative. We are planning to start a similar project in the Netherlands purely for people living with HIV so as to discuss
key issues as we try to help others. This year we are organizing the upcoming ICASA conference in Nigeria. I havethalso participated in the 16 International Conference on HIV/AIDS in Bangkok, Thailand, where I presented a paper
on behalf of all positive youth globally.
I decided to concentrate on issues affecting the youth .I contracted the disease because of ignorance hence I wantto communicate to them. Joking as a group is therapy for us. It is said that it takes 78% of your energy when you are
angry while only 12% of your energy is used up when you are happy. I live fully like there is no tomorrow and I
believe I won’t die from AIDS. I have lived with the disease for four years. I am hoping daily that the HIV cure will befound.
Some of the activities we involve ourselves in include drama where members give real life experience on HIV/AIDS
to educate the youth. We make and sell detergent and shoes. We sell the detergents for $10 or Ksh.500. The little
money we get is used to buy drugs for opportunistic infections and the general upkeep of the HIV infected youth.

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Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation
Annex 8: Testimony on HIV/AIDS, by Caroline Sande

I am a mother of two. My children are HIV negative. I represent the National
Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. I wear
several hats: GIPA volunteer with the Kenya Red cross society, Youth group campaigners for an AIDS free society run by our artists in Kenya, for example,
Maji maji is our role model. I went through trauma before I got the support
after I joined women fighting AIDS in Kenya.
I decided I would live again for my children and I went back to campus,
currently I am taking a parallel degree programme on Psychology andCounseling. I have conducted many training courses with the youth. I have
traveled extensively. When I first tested HIV positive in 1997, I suffered a lot of
stigma. My own mother stigmatized me, but I don’t blame her. She didn’tknow how to behave at that time because she didn’t know where to get the right kind of information. It even mademe want to commit suicide at one time. I wanted to kill the people I lived with in the same house. I am a person
who has been taken to court because, where I live, people thought I was going to infect the other tenants within theplot. Nobody wanted me to use the same toilet, same washing facilities, or hang my clothes out to dry with the rest.
I couldn’t take it anymore; there was this neighbour who decided to tell the whole world that I am HIV positive. She
traumatized me and made sure I was going to my grave. I talked to God and asked Him to intervene for me. As
usual before I left home in the morning, she would tease me, calling me all sought of names like a walking corpse
and a person suffering from tuberculosis (TB). I have personally never suffered from TB since I tested HIV positive.
I hit her with a hammer, I was taken to the police station, to court but God never forgets his people. A lawyer justcame up from nowhere and took up the case for me. The lawyer intervened for me free off charge and I was
acquitted.
My daughter was denied the chance of joining school for a class 1 position. Since they saw her mother on thescreen as HIV positive, they thought her daughter who is HIV negative would infect other children with the HIV virus.
I was once thrown out of where I was living. I went to the rent tribunal, and then I knew my rights. The landlord was
summoned to appear before the court of law and was instructed to take me back as a tenant. He claimed thatpeople were leaving the plot because of my HIV status and if he did not evict me they would deal with him accordingly.
I am a person who knows my rights and no one can play with me. I am proud to say that it’s just two weeks ago
when I was elected the secretary general for KELEI- Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues in Kenya. I am in the heart offighting for the rights of AIDS victims because I have known what it means to go through stigma and discrimination.
I make sure I fight for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. I have been on ARVs treatment for the last two years. I
am very fortunate because I get the drugs free of charge from Medicine Sans Frontiers.
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79Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation

I conclude by saying that please help us fight stigmatization and discrimination because it is not the virus that is
killing us but the stigma. You have already drawn a line and put us aside that you people are better than us which is
not the case. You are making us feel as if we want to infect you deliberately. If you deny my daughter a chance to bein the same school as yours where do you expect her to school? If you throw me out from my residential placebecause I have HIV/AIDS what do you expect me to do as a human being. Let us incorporate people living with HIV/AIDS into society.
Let me discuss about GIPA and the greater involvement with people living with HIV/AIDS. The 1994 Paris AIDS
Summit, 42 national governments declared the principle of greater and meaningful involvement for people livingwith HIV/AIDS. GIPA is critical to ethical and effective national responses to the epidemic. At the most basic GIPA
means two important things:••

Recognizing the important contribution people infected/affected by HIV/AIDS can make to the response of
the epidemic.
Creating space within society for their involvement and active participation.

Please send the right messages when you go back to your countries and help us fight stigma and discrimination.

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