East Africa: UN, EAC Sign Grant Agreement to Boost Agriculture

Posted on :Saturday , 4th February 2017

Arusha — The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation and the East Africa Community have signed a Grant Agreement to promote urban and rural agriculture and agribusiness so as to improve youth employment in Tanzania and other EAC member states.

The total budget of the Grant is 1.0 bn/- coming from the US $ 440,000 for one year. The agreement, complements the recently held 28th African Union Summit which ran under the theme of "Harnessing Africa's Demographic Dividend by Investing in Youth.

" It was signed by the EAC Secretary General Ambassador Libérat Mfumukeko, and Dr Patrick Kormawa, the Sub Regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and FAO Representative to the AU and UN Economic Commission for Africa, as the EAC Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs, Mr Charles Njoroge, looked on.

The agreement allows FAO and EAC to find a path for young people to secure decent work opportunities, as well as explore innovative e-business models in the agricultural sector.

Ambassador Mfumukeko in his remarks highlighted the positive impact of the agreement by saying "the cooperation with FAO was long overdue, and the current support will go a long way in addressing pertinent issues in East Africa where agriculture is the way of life.

" Despite relatively high economic growth in the Partner States of the East African Community (EAC), youth unemployment remains a great concern for the region, as it slows down economies and causes social problems. The two institutions have the tools to respond to unemployment in the EAC region.

FAO has developed the expertise on youth, agriculture, livelihoods and migration. EAC, on its part, has prepared its Youth Policy, a corner stone for many emerging public and private initiatives.

Dr Kormawa, in his address, emphasized the role of the partnership on youth "This Technical cooperation project (TCP) addresses one of the most pressing issues of job creation for youth in the sub region, we at FAO believe that youth employment in agriculture and agribusiness is a way of lifting a significant number of youth out of unemployment and poverty", he stated.

The agreement aims to enhance the capacity of the target countries and the EAC Secretariat to develop and implement youth-in-agriculture initiatives and to improve the East African youth's access to information, resources and employment opportunities in the agricultural sector.

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