African Union Launches the Youth in Agrifood Systems Performance Index (YAPI) Pilot Report 2026

African Union Launches the Youth in Agrifood Systems Performance Index (YAPI) Pilot Report 2026

The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), AGRA, IFPRI, and other strategic partners, has officially launched the Youth in Agrifood Systems Performance Index (YAPI) Pilot Countries Report 2026. The launch marks a major milestone in strengthening evidence-based policymaking and accountability for youth empowerment within Africa's agrifood systems. 

YAPI is the first continental framework developed to comprehensively assess how African countries are creating an enabling environment for young people to participate, innovate, and thrive across agrifood value chains. Moving beyond simply measuring youth employment, the index evaluates the policies, institutions, services, and opportunities that support meaningful youth engagement in agriculture, agribusiness, and food systems. 

The framework measures performance across five key domains:

• Education, Skills and Technology
• Productive Resources and Services
• Economic Opportunities
• Policy Engagement and Governance
• Sustainability and Resilience to Shocks 

The pilot was implemented in 11 African Union Member States: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Eswatini, The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Uganda, providing the first continental baseline for measuring youth participation in agrifood systems. The findings identify areas of progress while highlighting persistent challenges in access to finance, productive resources, quality employment, climate resilience, and youth-disaggregated data systems. 

The report also supports implementation of the CAADP Kampala Declaration (2026–2035), under which African Union Member States committed to empowering at least 30% of youth across agrifood value chains by 2035. By providing standardized indicators and a common monitoring framework, YAPI will help governments, Regional Economic Communities, development partners, researchers, and youth organizations track progress, identify policy gaps, and guide investments that create inclusive opportunities for young people. 

As YAPI expands beyond the pilot phase, it is expected to become a key continental tool for monitoring youth inclusion, strengthening accountability, and accelerating Africa's agrifood systems transformation through data-driven decision-making.

Read the full report in the YASE Resource Library to explore the complete methodology, country findings, and recommendations.