Building Youth AgriRise Africa from a university in Morogoro

At Sokoine University of Agriculture, Egidius Evodius Rwebugisa studies Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. He combines what he learns in class with practical work through youth-led initiatives and community projects.

He serves as a Project Planner and Coordinator with Capacity Building for Youth Organization, helping design and coordinate projects focused on "youth empowerment, climate action, entrepreneurship, and skills development," he says. That has meant organising community activities, developing project proposals, supporting partnerships, and helping young people reach opportunities that can improve their livelihoods.

“I believe leadership begins with taking action, even before everything is perfect.”

Egidius Evodius Rwebugisa

Alongside it he is building Youth AgriRise Africa, an initiative meant to encourage more young people to engage in agriculture through innovation, entrepreneurship and practical learning. It is still growing. "It represents the future I want to help build: one where young people create solutions instead of waiting for opportunities," he says.

The aim he sets for both is to help young people see agriculture "as an opportunity for leadership, entrepreneurship, and community development rather than just a way of making a living."

Behind that is something he states flat. "I have seen many talented young people struggle to find direction, funding, and access to opportunities," he says.

So he is doing three things at once. Studying the subject, coordinating other people's projects in it, and starting something of his own in it. The third is the one still being built.