{"id":10517,"date":"2026-07-28T11:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/?p=10517"},"modified":"2026-07-28T11:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:36:11","slug":"growing-the-next-generation-of-agribusiness-entrepreneurs-in-burkina-faso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/growing-the-next-generation-of-agribusiness-entrepreneurs-in-burkina-faso\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing the Next Generation of Agribusiness Entrepreneurs in Burkina Faso"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>In Tenkodogo, eastern Burkina Faso, a young entrepreneur is building an aquaponics enterprise that could help reshape how his community grows food. His name is Issouf Kabre, winner of the 2024 Social Equity Program (SEP) Innovation Challenge, and his venture, Nafa’Koom, is a story of what happens when mentorship meets ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Issouf Kabre, 2024 SEP Laureate, at the premises of his enterprise, Nafa’Koom<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture remains the backbone of Burkina Faso’s economy and the primary source of livelihood for millions. For GEFED, JA Africa’s implementing partner in Burkina Faso, building young people’s entrepreneurial and work-readiness skills isn’t just about individual success stories; it’s about strengthening food security and driving sustainable economic growth across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central to that work is mentorship, and one mentor in particular has become a driving force behind it. Josias Kere has volunteered his time and expertise for the past three years to help nurture the next generation of agribusiness entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As founder of AgriMinga SAS, Josias is proof of what innovation can do for agriculture’s toughest challenges. His company builds soilless farming systems that combine technology and sustainability, using hydroponics, smart greenhouses, and vertical farming to reduce water use by up to 90% while increasing yields tenfold. AgriMinga also designs autonomous growing kits, decorative living walls, and digital tools built specifically for the realities of African agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2024, Josias has brought that expertise directly into JA Africa’s Social Equity Program, helping aspiring agripreneurs turn promising ideas into viable businesses. His mentorship goes beyond technical know-how. Drawing on his own entrepreneurial journey, he helps young people build confidence, strengthen their business models, adopt innovative farming practices, and navigate the real challenges of launching an enterprise- the kind of practical insight no classroom can teach alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issouf’s Nafa’Koom is one result of that mentorship. With support from Josias, alongside GEFED’s partners CEAS Burkina and WakatLab, the venture is growing into a resilient business with the potential to transform local food systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josias’ commitment doesn’t stop at formal mentoring sessions. Through AGRIMINGA, he regularly welcomes young people for educational visits and internship opportunities, giving them hands-on exposure to innovative agricultural practices and real industry experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Burkina Faso works to unlock the potential of its young population, investing in agriculture means investing in its next generation of entrepreneurs. Mentorship is central to that journey, building not just technical and business skills, but the confidence, resilience, and networks that turn ideas into impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Josias Kere, founder of AgriMinga SAS<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re proud to work alongside mentors like Josias, whose impact reaches far beyond their own businesses. With the support of the Z Zurich Foundation and our partner GEFED, mentors like him are cultivating a new generation of agribusiness leaders, creating jobs, strengthening food systems, and building a more prosperous, resilient Burkina Faso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what building the boundless potential of young people looks like in practice, one mentor, one entrepreneur, one harvest at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to support young agripreneurs like Issouf? Learn more about JA Africa’s Social Equity Program at ja-africa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Tenkodogo, eastern Burkina Faso, a young entrepreneur is building an aquaponics enterprise that could help reshape how his community grows food. His name is Issouf Kabre, winner of the 2024 Social Equity Program (SEP) Innovation Challenge, and his venture, Nafa’Koom, is a story of what happens when mentorship meets ambition. Issouf Kabre, 2024 SEP […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"featured_alumni_video":"","year":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Josias-Kere-at-Agrimanga-in-Ouagadougou.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10517"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10521,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10517\/revisions\/10521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.ja-africa.org\/backend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}