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Africa’s Future is Youth-Led

Young people are critical to the future of sustainable growth in African farming. Fairtrade Africa aims to make agriculture aspirational through education, innovation and youth leadership.

Young people make up a significant share of Africa’s population. Nearly 60% of Africans are under the age of 25, making the continent the youngest in the world.

At Fairtrade Africa, we want the next generation to see agriculture not as a struggle, but as an opportunity. We support and equip young farmers with agri-preneurial skills that enable them to farm smarter, access markets, and build sustainable livelihoods - while blending traditional knowledge with modern business practices.

Youth have a critical role to play in the future of agriculture. Yet agricultural value chains often remain exclusionary, lacking the policies, laws, and norms needed to support meaningful youth participation.

However, through our dedicated Youth Strategy, young people are positioned as essential drivers of positive change! 

Fairtrade Africa's Youth Strategy

We focus on transformed and strengthened producer organizations, while promoting equal rights for young people to access and control agricultural resources and to actively participate in decision-making within cooperatives.

The primary objective is to integrate young people aged 18–35 into Fairtrade Africa’s core work, strengthening their voice and influence within the Fairtrade system through meaningful participation that generates economic and social impact.

The strategy aligns with multiple Sustainable Development Goals, particularly focusing on quality education, decent work, reduced inequalities, and sustainable communities.

How our youth strategy supports the SDGs

  • Enhancing youth engagement

  • Promoting economic empowerment

  • Fostering social development

  • Capacity building & advocacy

Through the Fairtrade Africa Youth Ambassador program (FAYA) young African producers can amplify their voices, advocate for youth participation in agriculture, and lead initiatives that transform their communities.

Meet some of our ambassadors below.

Meet Felix !

Felix Tetteh is a cocoa farmer from the Eastern Region of Ghana, managing a two-acre cocoa farm and a graduate with a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Ghana. He serves as Vice President of the Youth Council and Compliance Officer (since January 2025) at Asetenapa Cocoa Cooperative. A lead farmer within his cooperative, Felix trains fellow farmers in agricultural practices and Fairtrade Standards. He also engages in lobbying and advocacy to champion cocoa producers’ interests and contributes to the constitutional committee of the Fair Trade Ghana Network, supporting ongoing amendments to the network’s constitution. As a Fairtrade Ambassador, Felix advocates on critical issues affecting producers, including climate change, high production costs, insufficient living income, and child and forced labor, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing sustainable and ethical cocoa production.
Felix on his cocoa farm

Meet Brenda!

Brenda Chepkoech has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and is a dedicated coffee farmer. She is a member of Kabngetuny Cooperative Society and a Fairtrade Africa Youth Ambassador. Brenda has served as a coffee product representative in the FairChanger Project in collaboration with Fairtrade Germany and worked with her cooperative as staff and Trainer of Trainees (TOT) with Fairtrade Africa and the RECOVER Africa Project. Through the RECOVER Africa Project, Brenda contributed to relief and recovery efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting 129 Fairtrade producer organizations across nine countries. A committed Fairtrade champion, she actively promotes youth inclusion in agriculture across Africa and globally!
Brenda presenting on coffee farming