IYD: Foundation launches academy to support Bauchi farmers

The Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions has launched the Global Agri Entrepreneurship Academy as part of activities marking the 2026 International Youth Day.

The academy, known as GAEA, is designed to nurture the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers across Africa and beyond.

The Brand and Communications Manager of FSSS, Clinton Inene, announced the initiative during a seminar on Thursday, noting that the foundation, which is already improving agricultural productivity and strengthening livelihoods for thousands of smallholder farmers across Bauchi State, seeks to transform innovative ideas into sustainable ventures.

Inene said the academy would equip participants with the practical knowledge, entrepreneurial mindset, and connections required to develop impactful ventures.

He said, “The Global Agri Entrepreneurship Academy is more than a learning platform. It is a launchpad for the next generation of agricultural innovators, entrepreneurs and changemakers.

“Through GAEA, we want to equip young people with the practical knowledge, entrepreneurial mindset and connections they need to transform ideas into impactful and sustainable ventures.”

According to him, participants would have access to expert-led learning sessions, mentorship opportunities, industry insights, practical resources and a growing community of young professionals committed to transforming agriculture.

The Executive Director of FSSS, Isaiah Gabriel, said the initiative demonstrated the organisation’s commitment to empowering young people and accelerating innovation across food systems.

According to Gabriel, “Young people are not just the future of agriculture; they are already shaping its future.

“GAEA is our commitment to supporting them with the tools, networks and opportunities they need to succeed and drive meaningful change in food systems across Africa and beyond.”

He disclosed further that the organisation’s GroundBreakers initiative was created to stimulate conversations, inspire action and connect young people with opportunities shaping the future of food.

Gabriel stressed that the response to the first edition had been encouraging, while expressing optimism that the 2027 edition would be bigger and provide more opportunities for participants to engage and collaborate in person.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Grabb Livestock, Aisha Sidi, challenged young innovators to focus on the problems they sought to solve rather than technology itself.

“Don’t just fall in love with the idea, fall in love with the problem,” Sidi said.

Drawing from her experience on developing digital solutions for livestock farmers, she urged young entrepreneurs to understand the realities of farmers before designing products and services.

She explained that Grabb Livestock changed its platform from a web-based application to a USSD solution after discovering that many rural farmers lacked the digital literacy required to use the original platform.

According to her, the adjustment helped the company expand its reach from about 2,000 farmers to more than 50,000.

Similarly, the CEO, CTO and Co-founder of Agrofount, Dayo Akinbami, while highlighting the importance of problem-solving and the growing role of data in creating opportunities in agriculture, noted that, “Nigeria doesn’t need technology for technology’s sake. We need young people who understand our problems deeply enough to use tech to solve them.”

Akinbami urged participants to explore opportunities in agricultural data systems, noting that reliable farmer data could improve access to finance, strengthen decision-making and promote innovation across the agricultural value chain.

Another speaker, Alabi, challenged participants to rethink their approach to agribusiness opportunities, urging them to focus on practical challenges confronting farmers rather than technology trends.

He described agricultural extension services as a “dying sector,” citing the widening gap between farmers and the advisory support they require.

“There are simply not enough extension officers to serve the millions of farmers we have today,” Alabi observed.

He encouraged young innovators to view the challenge as an opportunity to develop scalable digital solutions capable of delivering knowledge, advisory services and support to farmers more efficiently.

According to him, some of the biggest opportunities in agriculture are beyond production and include financing, market access, logistics, extension services and farmer data systems.