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At African Development Bank Group 2025 Annual Meetings, young agripreneurs transforming Africa’s Agriculture in spotlight

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African Development Bank

The side event drew policymakers, private sector leaders, development partners, young agripreneurs and other participants to share insights on scaling up youth-led agribusinesses across Africa

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, May 28, 2025/APO Group/ –An Ivorian entrepreneur who started up a snack food business with about $100, then transformed it into a multinational supplier of a popular potato chip, is crediting the African Development Bank’s Enable Youth program for his success.

Thirty-year-old “Mon chips” brand founder Koffi Amani François Xavier told an audience Tuesday on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group 2025 Annual Meetings, that his participation in the Enable Youth AgriPitch competition – which empowers young people in the agribusiness sector -helped him develop the skills he needed to scale up his business.

Xavier was a featured speaker at the Annual Meetings side event focused on supporting African youth and innovation in Africa’s agriculture sector, held on Monday 26 May.  The“Mobilizing Africa’s Agripreneurs: Unleashing the Next Generation of Agricultural Innovators session showcased the transformational impact of the ENABLE Youth Program, which has supported more than 100,000 young people in agriculture across 18 African countries and has facilitated the estimated creation of 240,000 jobs.

“Agriculture offers the largest scale and quickest wins for youth employment. That’s why the African Development Bank launched the ENABLE Youth Program in 2016. We knew that if we could support young people to become “agri-preneurs,” they would build businesses that not only feed Africa but employ millions of people,” Dr. Beth Dunford, African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development said in her remarks.

We knew that if we could support young people to become “agri-preneurs,” they would build businesses that not only feed Africa but employ millions of people

The side event drew policymakers, private sector leaders, development partners, young agripreneurs and other participants to share insights on scaling up youth-led agribusinesses across Africa.  Xavier not only participated in the AgriPitch competition that offers business development training, mentorship and exposure to potential investors – he was an AgriPitch winner of $25,000 two years ago.

“Thanks to the Bank’s AgriPitch competition, we were able to modernize our production, reach 150 points of sale [stores] in Côte d’Ivoire, and establish a presence in four countries,” Xavier said. He told side event attendees that since the competition, he expanded his work force to 26 employees, 80 percent of his employees are women, and that his operations now process 50 tons of potato chips per year.

Bank Enable Youth Coordinator Edson Mpyisi moderated a  panel on creating opportunities for youth-led agribusinesses through policy reform, financing mechanisms, private sector mentorship, and access to markets. Panelists included: Dr. Martin Fregene, Bank Director for Agriculture and Agro-Industry; Diana Gichaga, Managing Partner of Private Equity Support; Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR; Frank Nyabundege, Managing Director at Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank; and AgriPitch winner Xavier, whose company is registered as Etoduma SARL.

Africa is home to the youngest population in the world – with more than 60 percent of the continent’s population under the age of 25. By 2030, one out of every two new entrants in the global labour force will come from Africa.

The gathering also delved into the prospects of a proposed “Enable Youth 2.0” – a scaling up of Enable Youth’s success that will focus on innovative and inclusive financing, capacity building, market linkages and climate resilience. The Enable Youth Program aligns with Bank commitments under its Ten-Year Strategy (2024 – 2033) – to place youth at the center of Africa’s agricultural and economic transformation.

Organizing or sponsoring initiatives such as the African Youth Agripreneur Forum, AgriPitch Competition, and Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks, the African Development Bank continues to mobilize investment, innovation, and partnerships to help realize Africa’s agrifood potential.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

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Canada–Africa Financing Forum to Convene Investors and Decision-Makers in Cape Town – May 14, 2026

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Ateau Zola

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships

TORONTO, Canada, April 29, 2026/APO Group/ –The Canada–Africa Chamber of Business (https://CanadaAfrica.ca) will convene investors, financiers, policymakers, and industry leaders in Cape Town on May 14, 2026 for the Canada–Africa Financing Forum—a high-level platform focused on unlocking capital and accelerating deal flow across African markets.

Registration is open (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships. The program connects leaders from venture capital, private equity, and institutional investors to examine where capital is moving—and where the next opportunities lie—supported by Canadian project partners with proven capacity to deliver on-the-ground.

Delegates will engage directly with finance and investment decision-makers, following the program opening, featuring messages from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Mark Carney, in addition to high-level Ministerial representation.

This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation

“This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation,” said Garreth Bloor, President of the Canada–Africa Chamber of Business. “We are convening investors, institutions, and project leaders who are actively shaping transactions across Africa—and connecting them directly with Canadian partners who are ready to work together.”

The Canada–Africa Financing Forum reflects the Chamber’s role as a privately financed, market-led platform advancing Canada-Africa trade and investment through world-class networking and information-sharing events.

Why Attend

  • Direct access to active dealmakers and capital allocators
  • Insights into where capital is being deployed and key players delivering major projects
  • Opportunities to build partnerships across Canada and African markets
  • Participation in a curated, high-level environment focused on execution

Secure Your Place

Space is limited and demand is strong.

Apply to secure your place (http://apo-opa.co/4vXb9oz)

Read More and View the Program (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

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ORUN and 1xBET Partner to Support a Dynamic Creative Africa

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MIR Holding

During the MASA 2026 edition, held from April 11 to 18, 2026, ORUN and 1xBET implemented the We Champion Talent program, an initiative aimed at promoting African talent and advancing the development of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –As part of the Innovation Village co-organized with MASA at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan from April 14 to 18, ORUN (https://ORUN.Africa) announces the rollout of its partnership with 1xBET to support a creative Africa that is structuring itself, professionalizing, and scaling across the continent.

We aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency

Designed as a space of convergence between heritage, innovation, and knowledge transmission, the Innovation Village features scenography crafted by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses on creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a major institutional highlight on April 17. Its narrative platform is built around three pillars: memory, structure, and transmission. The initiative aims to position cultural and creative industries as an economic driver for the continent.

“The Innovation Village was conceived as an act of construction. By partnering with organizations such as 1xBET, we aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

This vision aligns with ORUN’s broader ambition to produce, structure, and internationalize African creative industries through events, content, and strategic partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of ORUN, part of African Currency Network (ACN).

 

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MIR Holding Reaffirms Its Commitment to African Creative Industries Alongside ORUN at Marché des Arts du Spectacle Africain d’Abidjan (MASA) 2026

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MIR Holding

More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –On the occasion of MASA 2026, held from April 11 to 18 in Abidjan, MIR Holding (https://MIRHolding.odoo.com) reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of African creative industries by partnering with ORUN as part of the Innovation Village, hosted at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan. This presence reflects a clear intention to support the scaling of cultural and creative industries so they can fully contribute to job creation and value generation across the continent.

 

Co-organized by ORUN and MASA, the Innovation Village brought together over several days scenography designed by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses dedicated to creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a key institutional highlight on April 17.

At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains

Built around three pillars — memory, structure, and transmission — the initiative carried a renewed ambition for culture: positioning it as a concrete lever for economic structuring and African projection.

By supporting this initiative, MIR Holding aligns with a broader dynamic aimed at strengthening connections between creation, entrepreneurship, content, youth, and growth ecosystems. More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures. MIR Holding stands among the main partners of the Village, alongside Africa Currency Network and other stakeholders engaged in this vision.

“With ORUN, we are not only seeking to make culture visible. We aim to help provide it with a framework, a reach, and a trajectory. What is at stake here is the continent’s ability to better transform its creative energy into sustainable value, real opportunities, and influence,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

Mouhamed Dieng, President of MIR Holding, added: “Supporting Africa’s creative industries is not about backing a secondary sector. It is about investing in one of the continent’s most powerful spaces for storytelling, youth, innovation, and competitiveness. At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MIR Holding.

 

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