An online meeting aimed at unlocking entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in Africa will bring together regional partners to explore how the poultry sector can drive jobs, livelihoods, and youth participation across the value chain. The webinar is being hosted by AGRA in partnership with the SADC Secretariat, SACAU, Generation Africa and Equip, among others, and will focus on where young people can participate in poultry businesses beyond production.
Organisers say the poultry sector is expanding steadily, creating conditions for new ventures and sustainable income generation. Poultry production is projected to increase from 181,000 metric tonnes in 2023 to approximately 217,000 metric tonnes by 2028, representing an estimated annual growth rate of 2.9%. With consumer demand rising, poultry is positioned as an increasingly important source of both food and commercial activity. In Malawi, for example, poultry accounts for an estimated 79% of livestock consumption per capita, while chicken consumption is reported to have increased by 62% (from 16.9 kg to 27.4 kg per capita) and egg consumption by 23% (from 22 kg to 27 kg per capita) between 2016/17 and 2017/18.
The webinar will explore how poultry value chains depend on a broader ecosystem of businesses, not only on farming. Participants will learn how the sector supports and connects multiple roles, including feed production, input supply, veterinary services, hatcheries, transportation, aggregation, processing, marketing, and retail. This wider network, organisers argue, offers young people practical entry points to start businesses, earn income, and contribute to growing local food systems.
The session’s objective is to create awareness among young people about opportunities across the poultry value chain and to provide practical insights on how they can participate, start enterprises, and build sustainable livelihoods. Through structured discussions, the webinar will also address pathways for youth involvement, emphasizing entrepreneurship opportunities that extend beyond traditional poultry production.
Key discussion areas will include the poultry opportunity in the region, including current trends and growth potential, increasing demand for chicken and eggs, and the challenges and opportunities young entrepreneurs must understand. The webinar will also examine where young people can participate, outlining opportunities across multiple value chain stages such as input supply (feed production and distribution, veterinary products, vaccines, and poultry equipment), production (broiler and layer farming, cooperative models, and outgrower systems), aggregation and trading (linking small producers to markets and consumers), processing and value addition (slaughtering, packaging, cold chain services, and poultry product development), and marketing and distribution (retail sales networks and digital platforms).
In addition, organisers say the webinar will focus on how young people can build successful poultry businesses by covering skills and knowledge requirements, ways to access inputs, finance, and markets, and lessons drawn from existing poultry entrepreneurs.
The webinar will be facilitated by Rollins Chitika (Equip Group), who will guide the discussion and focus on youth entrepreneurship and business growth in Malawi’s poultry sector. The technical discussion on sector trends, production systems, and value chain opportunities will be led by Alexander Stewart, a poultry specialist with extensive experience in Malawi and the region. Valentine Miheso (AGRA) will represent a development partner perspective, sharing insights into market opportunities, the importance of youth participation, and the role of partnerships in supporting growth. The conversation will also include two young poultry farmers/entrepreneurs, who will share practical experiences and lessons learned about starting and scaling poultry businesses.
Bringing together regional institutions, technical experts, and youth voices, the webinar is expected to provide a roadmap for young people seeking to enter one of the region’s fastest-growing agri-business sectors, where demand is rising, value chains are expanding, and entrepreneurship opportunities extend far beyond the farm. Click here to register
