By Agrobroadcast staff
Africa Future Farmers has empowered more than 1,500 teenagers and university students from underserved communities through its inaugural festival held in Lagos a capacity-building platform aimed at accelerating Nigeria’s human capital development.
The initiative equips young people with practical competencies in critical thinking, innovation, and responsible citizenship skills increasingly demanded by today’s digital economy but often missing in traditional learning systems.
Mercy Frank, convener of the Africa Future Farmers Festival, said the programme was designed to close the widening skill gap by giving young people the tools they need to solve community problems and scale their ideas nationally.
“Young Africans are no longer waiting for the future they want to build it,” Frank said. “We are handing them the tools to create solutions, expand their impact, and contribute to Africa’s competitiveness.
”The festival featured industry professionals who delivered hands-on training in multimedia editing, visual storytelling, graphic and web design, and digital content creation five hours of practical sessions aimed at preparing participants for real-world work and entrepreneurship.
Frank noted that with Nigeria transitioning to an updated school curriculum that includes digital literacy, coding, and entrepreneurship, many public schools lack qualified instructors. This gap, she said, makes it essential to engage professionals as volunteer facilitators.
“We recognised that challenge early, so we are leveraging skilled professionals to ensure young people in underserved communities are not left behind,” she added.
The festival marks the beginning of a year-long development pathway where participants will continue learning, receive mentorship, and incubate ideas with economic potential.
Africa Future Farmers aims to build a generation of skilled young innovators who can shape the continent’s economic future, drive social progress, and influence governance outcomes.