Tanzania: Ansaf Organises Two-Day Agri-Industry Seminar

By Fatma Abdu

THE Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (Ansaf) has organised an annual learning event (ALE) aiming at educating the youth on employment opportunities in agriculture through industrialisation.

The two-day platform will be held from Thursday to Friday next week in Dodoma and it targets women and young producers.

Participants will discuss various agricultural agenda and come up with recommendations to improve various policies, laws and regulations especially in the sectors of agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

Ansaf Executive Director Audax Rukonge said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that the event would bring together 200 stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including researchers and experts from higher learning institutions.

"The annual learning event will provide evidence necessary for social change in policy and practices," Mr Rukonge said. Ansaf believes that the industrial economy is a catalyst for creating youth employment opportunities and contributes to economic growth. "We should focus on creating an enabling environment for the youth to enable them investin agriculture, livestock and fisheries for their future," the director said.

Under the theme 'Unleashing Youth Employment in Agriculture by Leveraging on Industrialisation' the conference-specific focusing on sharing and learning experience on youth employment opportunities existing in agriculture and other sectors to achieve industrialisation.

Mr Rukonge told reporters that Ansaf and other stakeholders recognised and commended the efforts made by the government to provide youth opportunities and capacity building in collaboration with the private sector.

Five years ago the government came up with industrialisation policy as its priority that will lead the country to becoming a semi-industrialized in the next five years.

The goal is to uplift industrial contribution to GDP to 40 per cent. Since its inception in 2006, Ansaf has been promoting learning and sharing among stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

Through a number of such events, actors including the public and private sectors have been able to adapt and scale up some approaches to support agricultural sector performance.