Africa’s next generation of agripreneurs must combine agricultural expertise with financial literacy, technology, marketing and business management to build competitive and sustainable enterprises, Fidelis Danjuma, a mentor with the 2026 Leading Change Accelerator Program (LCAP) Blueprint, has said.
Danjuma said cross-disciplinary mentorship and integrated entrepreneurial training were increasingly necessary to help young Africans transform innovative ideas into viable businesses capable of creating jobs and contributing to economic development.
Speaking with newsmen on the role of mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration in developing young entrepreneurs, Danjuma said traditional professional silos could no longer adequately prepare innovators for the demands of modern business.
‘Building sustainable businesses requires more than specialised technical knowledge. It demands an integrated, cross-disciplinary ecosystem where ideas, skills, experience and resources can converge to create lasting value,’ he said.
According to him, the agriculture sector illustrates the need for such an integrated approach, given its importance to Africa’s food security, employment and climate resilience.
Danjuma said knowledge of agronomy alone was insufficient to build competitive agribusinesses, urging young agripreneurs to acquire skills in financial management, value-chain operations, digital technology, strategic marketing and risk management.
‘When young innovators combine knowledge of primary-sector practices with modern business principles, agriculture can evolve from a predominantly subsistence activity into a dynamic, competitive and high-growth sector capable of creating jobs and generating sustainable economic value,’ he said.
He identified mentorship as a critical bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical business execution, particularly as young entrepreneurs move from developing an idea to producing a minimum viable product, validating the market and building scalable business models.
‘As mentors, our responsibility is not simply to provide answers. It is to help young innovators ask the right questions, test their assumptions, learn from setbacks and develop the confidence required to execute their ideas,’ Danjuma said.
He said the 10-week LCAP Blueprint programme was designed to equip its 2026 cohort with practical skills, knowledge, networks and confidence to develop sustainable ventures.
Danjuma said the programme’s objective went beyond creating businesses, stressing that it also sought to develop entrepreneurs capable of identifying problems in their communities and designing solutions with measurable economic and social impact.
‘With the right mentorship, ecosystem and opportunities, Africa’s young innovators can move from being participants in the continent’s economic transformation to becoming some of its most important drivers,’ he said.