Young agricultural stars in western and southern Africa

Participants in the YLIP/PIJEL programmes are as diverse as agriculture itself: they are active in primary production, run processing and refining businesses or market agricultural inputs. Some are involved in agricultural associations, others are researching solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow. It is precisely this diversity of perspectives, experience and entrepreneurial spirit that future agriculture requires.

The Young Leaders Incubation Programme was created to strengthen young people from the agricultural sector in a targeted fashion – professionally, personally and strategically. In interactive modules, exchange formats and practical training sessions, participants hone their leadership skills, sharpen their vision and learn how to implement their ideas effectively. Special focus is placed on the role of the young generation as a driver of sustainable development, resilience and social justice in rural areas.

Some of these young specialists and managers will be among the defining voices of the sector – all of them will help shape it. With their energy, knowledge and commitment, they are already important driving forces in their organisations, cooperatives and companies.
In this article, we take a closer look at some of the graduates – with their stories, their goals and their passion for sustainable agriculture.

Devroll Legodi

Devroll Legodi is a 30-year-old agricultural entrepreneur from South Africa. She is the fifth child in her family and has a diploma in financial management. She comes from a family that grew food for their own needs in their garden. She took the decision to go into farming herself during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, she cultivates her family’s land in the semi-arid province of Gauteng and runs her business from there. After saving up for her start-up capital, she founded her company in April 2020, which she still runs independently today. Her agribusiness focuses on small-scale primary production of herbs and spinach, which is marketed to Woolworths and processing companies. Her most important marketing strategy is to seek direct dialogue with enthusiastic consumers. In Devroll’s entrepreneurial work, she had to overcome lows in order to reach new heights. One of her greatest successes was supplying Boksburg prison with four tonnes of produce every week. One of her biggest challenges, however, was the loss of her entire harvest following a hailstorm.

Devroll generally considers the political environment to be positive, but believes that young farmers need greater support, especially when it comes to complying with Global GAP standards. Her biggest challenges include the irrigation infrastructure, transportation and high input costs. She is a member of the African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA), which helps her to obtain bulk orders directly from retailers. Before attending the AHA and SACAU YLIP training in 2025, she had completed several training programmes. She took part in order to strengthen her leadership skills and plans to use these skills to attract funding for her business.

Looking to the future, her goal is to become a leading commercial herb farmer, run two of her own businesses, play a key role in shaping the herb industry and to create jobs for young people.

Yussif Jesiwuni

Yussif Jesiwuni is a 30-year-old farmer and champion of rural development from Ghana. Yussif developed his passion for farming at an early age when he followed his father to the fields in northern Ghana. His love and passion for agriculture deepened further when he began working actively in rural development in 2015. He was fascinated by the beauty and lush green of the fields and by the rare opportunity to observe plants from germination after sowing through to harvest.

Today, Yussif cultivates eight hectares of land on which he grows soyabeans and corn and he hopes to expand soon. In addition to agriculture, he runs a local NGO called the Business and Development Consultancy Centre (BADECC), which mainly focuses on climate-smart agriculture, interest representation, capacity building, agricultural consultancy as well as conflict management and peace building.

Yussif aims to own one of the largest soyabean fields in Ghana, comprising a processing plant with modern equipment. He also plans to process soyabeans into end products such as cooking oil, flour, milk and much more, both for the local market and for export.

He finds motivation in passing on knowledge and skills to other young people – especially on best agronomic practices that promote farm sustainability and enable tangible change. One of his greatest successes was that – thanks to his usual knowledge-sharing activities and youth development initiatives – he managed to change the minds of around 100 young people from rural areas who were set on giving up farming to seek their fortune in the cities.

Unfortunately, he experienced one of his lowest points when he suffered post-harvest losses due to a lack of machinery to thresh his soyabean crop: the beans lay exposed to the vagaries of the rainy weather and were destroyed. His biggest current challenges involve limited access to agricultural machinery, the high cost of inputs and dependence on rainfed agriculture.

He is a member of the Farmers’ Organization Network in Ghana, which connects all smallholder farmers along the agricultural value chain. Prior to YLIP, Yussif had the privilege of participating in various personal and professional development training courses. He is motivated by the opportunity to strengthen his leadership skills and problem-solving techniques for the benefit of his organisation and the community at large. Yussif was elected chairman of his YLIP cohort by his peers, which has endowed him with great responsibility in the group, provided him a practical understanding of leadership and reinforced his vocation for agriculture. YLIP has made a significant contribution to further developing his understanding of leadership and his general approach to social issues.

Yussif is convinced that agriculture is Africa’s goldmine and that it is up to the younger generation to help shape this success story through hard work, innovation, commitment and dedication to the agricultural sector.

Raymond Freyer

Raymond Freyer, a 34-year-old farmer from Keetmanshoop in the Karas region of southern Namibia, is the fourth child in his family. He lives together with his partner, with whom he has two daughters. Although he has a diploma in tourism, he has always felt drawn to farming – a deeply rooted tradition on both sides of his family. Raymond works in one of the driest regions of Namibia on land that was given to him on a non-transferable basis. His motivation lies in overcoming challenges.

After his father retired, Raymond took over responsibility for the family business in 2020. He sold some goats to start a poultry project. He currently runs the business with his siblings, with shared ownership and responsibility. Their small farm concentrates on poultry and goat farming, with products being sold informally by word of mouth. Agriculture in the south of Namibia is challenging due to the extreme climatic conditions. Raymond’s business has therefore also had to deal with ups and downs. His election as youth farmer chairman in his community was a great experience. One of his most difficult experiences, however, was losing half of his herd to cattle theft. Given his country’s heavy dependence on imported food, Raymond runs his farm to contribute to food security.

Raymond is also chairman of the National Youth Council of Namibia, an organisation that promotes youth-led projects. He participated in the SACAU Youth Poultry Workshop 2022 and the Poultry Futures Forum in Tanzania in 2024. Thanks to YLIP training he has improved his leadership skills and wants to share his knowledge with other young farmers. He has also developed his public speaking skills. In the next ten years, Raymond wants to become one of the largest poultry producers in his region and start exporting goats to South Africa. 

Dorcas Joanita Akouete

Dorcas Joanita Akouete is a young woman from Benin who is passionate about agriculture and family farming in particular. She lives in Darnon, a village in the municipality of N’Dali in the north of the country, and has a Master’s degree in animal and fish production. Today, she runs Terre d’Amazones, an agricultural company dedicated to producing and processing plant and animal products.

Her passion for nature originated in her childhood, when she looked after the pigeons, chickens and young goats at home every day. Spurred on by her father, she had no hesitation opting to study agricultural sciences, specialising in animal production and fishing. As the only one of six siblings to take up farming, she decided to settle on her parents’ farm, Ferme Akoeute et fils. She started with 250 broiler chicks. Today, she grows several types of grain such as corn, soya, rice and sorghum, keeps poultry and pigs and grows (leafy) vegetables and fruit together with her partner and her father.

For Dorcas Joanita, one thing is clear: “The earth doesn’t lie. It teaches us to understand the usefulness of challenges as true happiness”. This motivates her not to give up even in difficult times. One of their biggest challenges was the loss of an entire rice harvest, which was destroyed by fire before it could even be stored. It was a very painful experience, but her greatest pride comes from the moments when she is reaping the fruits of her labour and seeing the impact of her work: she is feeding the women and men of her community and her country.

Her entry into farmers’ organisations was initially motivated by a desire for networking and new opportunities. But it soon took on a broader role – particularly campaigning for the rights of women and young farmers. She campaigns for access to means of production, land, suitable financing and better information on agricultural policy decisions that often fail to meet the needs of farmers. As a result of this commitment, she joined the Fédération Nationale des Femmes Agricultrices du Bénin (FENAFAB) and the Collège des Jeunes Agriculteurs du Bénin, two influential organisations and members of PNOPPA .

Before the YLIP programme, Dorcas Joanita had already taken part in several leadership training courses. But the YLIP experience was different. It is a profound immersion that marks a real turning point: a place of inner transformation, a call to think differently, in-depth learning about dedicated leadership. “This process is continuous, because after each step you have to look in an inner mirror, adapt your leadership to the circumstances, learn how to guide others and help them to bring out the leadership personality in them,” says the young farmer.

Today, Dorcas Joanita manages to reconcile her family life, her commitment to farmers’ organisations and further developing her economic activities: this is the demanding everyday life of every woman who is involved in farmers’ organisations. She is pursuing her mission with a clear vision: she wants to arouse interest, inspire, accompany children and young people in this valuable, innovative and promising profession, because they are the future of food security and sovereignty.

Elizabeth Maanda Sianga

Elizabeth Maanda Sianga is a 27-year-old agricultural entrepreneur from Zambia and the third child in her family. She does not yet have a family of her own, but she is investing a lot of time in the transformation of agriculture in her country, to which she has dedicated herself. Elizabeth has a Bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a Master’s in agribusiness.

Inspired by her grandmother – a gardener and goat farmer – Elizabeth ventured into agribusiness in 2019. She works in the Kafue District in Lusaka Province (Region II) on her family’s land for which she has transferable title deeds. With passion and determination, she raised her start-up capital through personal savings and the support of her family and earned extra money by baking, making wigs and offering make-up services.

On her farm, she runs a horticulture and aquaculture business, keeps local poultry and processes corn into flour and ground corn. Elizabeth supplies chain stores such as Shoprite, local markets and restaurants. Her company, classified as medium-sized, combines primary production with agricultural processing.

Securing funding from the World Bank was an important milestone. Elizabeth was particularly inspired by her visit to the Zambeef Huntley farm, where she carried out a pregnancy check on a cow – an experience that strengthened her passion for farming.

She believes that while the policy environment in Zambia is generally supportive, there needs to be more accessible funding and reforms in terms of land ownership. Other challenges that she faces include harsh weather conditions, unreliable labour and fluctuating market prices.

Elizabeth is member of the Zambia National Farmers Union and the Global Farmers Network, which gives her access to mentors and a wealth of agricultural resources. Through YLIP training, she has improved her leadership and communication skills to grow her business and encourage other young agricultural entrepreneurs to find their voice. Over the next ten years, she plans to raise her agribusiness to commercial level, expand production for export and to establish an agricultural college, which would later be enlarged into a university.