The Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) commemorated International Youth Day 2026 by convening thousands of young people, entrepreneurs, innovators, and agriculture stakeholders through its newly launched GroundBreakers initiative, a youth-focused platform designed to inspire, equip and connect young Nigerians with opportunities across agriculture, agribusiness and agricultural technology.
The initiative debuted with GroundBreakers Live 2026, a two-day virtual webinar series held under the theme ‘Connecting Youth, Innovation, and the Future of Food.’ The event brought together leading agritech founders, entrepreneurs and industry experts to engage young people on the future of agriculture and the opportunities emerging across Nigeria food systems.
The webinar opened with a session on ‘Future of Food: How Technology is Transforming Agriculture’, featuring Aisha Rilwanu Sidi, chief executive officer of Grabb Livestock, and Dayo Akinbami, CEO, CTO and co-founder of Agrofount.
Addressing participants, Aisha challenged young innovators to focus less on technology itself and more on the problems they are trying to solve.
‘Don’t just fall in love with the idea, fall in love with the problem,’ she said.
Drawing from her experience building digital solutions for livestock farmers, she encouraged young entrepreneurs to spend time understanding the realities of farmers before designing products and services.
She shared how Grabb Livestock adapted its platform from a web-based application to a USSD solution after discovering that many rural farmers lacked the digital literacy needed to use the original platform, helping the company expand its reach from approximately 2,000 farmers to more than 50,000.
Dayo Akinbami reinforced the importance of problem-solving and highlighted the growing role of data in unlocking opportunities across agriculture.
‘Nigeria doesn’t need technology for technology’s sake. We need young people who understand our problems deeply enough to use tech to solve them,’ he said.
He encouraged participants to explore opportunities in agricultural data systems, noting that reliable farmer data can improve access to finance, strengthen decision-making and support innovation across the agricultural value chain.
The second day of the webinar featured Seyi Alabi, co-founder of Crop2Cash, who led discussions on ‘Building Profitable Agribusinesses in the Digital Age.’
Alabi challenged participants to rethink how they approach agribusiness opportunities and urged them to focus on solving practical challenges faced by farmers rather than pursuing technology trends.
One of the most notable moments of the session came when he described agricultural extension services as a ‘dying sector’, citing the widening gap between farmers and the advisory support they need.
‘There are simply not enough extension officers to serve the millions of farmers we have today,’ he noted.
He encouraged young innovators to see this challenge as an opportunity to develop scalable digital solutions that can deliver knowledge, advisory services and support to farmers more efficiently.
According to Alabi, some of the greatest opportunities in agriculture today lie beyond production and can be found in areas such as financing, market access, logistics, extension services and farmer data systems.
As part of the International Youth Day celebration, FSSS also officially launched the Global Agri Entrepreneurship Academy (GAEA), a platform created to nurture the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers.
Announcing the initiative, Clinton Mena Inene, Brand and Communications Manager at FSSS, described GAEA as a launchpad for young people seeking to transform innovative ideas into sustainable ventures.
‘The Global Agri Entrepreneurship Academy is more than a learning platform. It is a launchpad for the next generation of agricultural innovators, entrepreneurs and changemakers. Through GAEA, we want to equip young people with the practical knowledge, entrepreneurial mindset and connections they need to transform ideas into impactful and sustainable ventures.’
The academy will provide participants with access to expert-led learning sessions, mentorship opportunities, industry insights, practical resources and a growing community of young professionals committed to transforming agriculture.
Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Isaiah Gabriel, Executive Director of FSSS, said the academy reflects the organisation’s commitment to empowering young people and accelerating innovation across food systems.
‘Young people are not just the future of agriculture; they are already shaping its future. GAEA is our commitment to supporting them with the tools, networks and opportunities they need to succeed and drive meaningful change in food systems across Africa and beyond.’
Reflecting on the success of the inaugural edition, Inene said GroundBreakers is envisioned as a long-term platform for youth engagement and agricultural innovation.
‘GroundBreakers was created to spark conversations, inspire action and connect young people to the opportunities shaping the future of food. The response to this first edition has been incredibly encouraging, and we are excited to bring it back in 2027. Our hope is that the next edition will be even bigger, with opportunities for participants to engage, collaborate and connect in person.’
The launch of GroundBreakers and GAEA comes at a time when agriculture faces growing challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, limited access to finance, markets and advisory services.
FSSS believes these challenges also present significant opportunities for young entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions that improve productivity, strengthen resilience and create sustainable livelihoods.
Through GroundBreakers Live and the launch of GAEA, FSSS reaffirmed its commitment to empowering young people to become leaders, innovators and problem-solvers in agriculture. The organisation hopes the initiatives will inspire a new generation of agripreneurs capable of building profitable ventures while contributing to a more sustainable, inclusive and food-secure future.