The Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) has launched the Global Agri Entrepreneurship Academy (GAEA) to equip young people with the skills, networks and practical knowledge needed to develop sustainable agricultural ventures.
The academy was unveiled as part of activities marking the 2026 International Youth Day, with the foundation positioning the initiative as a platform for turning innovative ideas into practical solutions to challenges across the agricultural value chain.
Speaking at a seminar, FSSS Brand and Communications Manager, Clinton Inene, said GAEA would provide expert-led learning, mentorship, industry insights, practical resources and networking opportunities for young agricultural entrepreneurs.
“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,” he said.
The Executive Director of FSSS, Isaiah Gabriel, said the initiative reflected the foundation’s commitment to empowering young people to drive innovation across Africa’s food systems.
He also disclosed that the organisation’s GroundBreakers initiative was created to stimulate conversations, inspire action and connect young people with opportunities in the future of food.
Speaking on innovation, the CEO of Grabb Livestock, Aisha Sidi, urged young entrepreneurs to focus on solving real problems rather than simply developing technology.
“Don’t just fall in love with the idea, fall in love with the problem,” she said.
Sidi explained that Grabb Livestock moved from a web-based platform to USSD after discovering that many rural farmers lacked the digital literacy to use the original platform, a change she said helped the company expand its reach from about 2,000 to over 50,000 farmers.
Similarly, the CEO, CTO and Co-founder of Agrofount, Dayo Akinbami, urged young innovators to leverage technology to address specific agricultural challenges, particularly in farmer data management.
“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,” he said.
Another speaker, Alabi, identified agricultural extension as a major area requiring innovation, noting that there were not enough extension officers to serve Nigeria’s millions of farmers.
He urged young entrepreneurs to explore digital solutions for delivering extension services, while identifying financing, market access, logistics and farmer data systems as other areas with significant opportunities.
