As well as enhancing information and knowledge exchange among Benin’s vulnerable communities and policymakers, ACED’s interventions aim to build the capacities of young professionals to facilitate their integration into profitable agribusinesses. For instance, with support from the African Capacity Building Foundation, ACED has produced three flagship publications:

1) A research report to map the profiles of youths interested in agribusiness, i.e. their training and experience, to provide guidance to youth-supporting institutions, such as the National Fund for the Promotion of Enterprise and Youth Employment, to develop targeted interventions that account for the diverse needs of youth;

2) A report to identify and analyse more than 50 business opportunities for youths – with low technical skills and investment capacity – in the pineapple, poultry and fish sectors to highlight agricultural opportunities beyond the primary production stage; and

3) A technical handbook for youth on agricultural entrepreneurship and business skills.

Knowledge generated by these publications has been used by large entrepreneurship programmes in Benin, including the UAC Startup Valley,[1] to help it design interventions in the agribusiness sector.

“Thank you for the opportunities you share with us. Keep it up! You are doing a great job,” says agricultural sciences former student Olivier A.

[1] https://www.uacstartupvalley.com/

This blog post emerged from the 10-year impact report of ACED. You can download the full report for more information.