Mastercard Foundation Deepens Commitment to Youth-Led Agri-Food Revolution at AFSF 2025 in Dakar

A major force in empowering Africa’s next generation, the Mastercard Foundation arrives in Senegal for AFSF 2025 with a robust agenda, building on its billion-dollar pledge to amplify youth voices, drive digital innovation, and secure a sustainable, inclusive future for the continent’s food systems.

DAKAR, Senegal – As the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 opens its doors from August 31 to September 5, 2025, a critical partner stands ready to accelerate the summit’s youth-centric agenda: the Mastercard Foundation. Building on a long-standing commitment to Africa’s agricultural transformation, the Foundation’s extensive involvement at this year’s forum in Dakar underscores its dedication to empowering young people, fostering financial inclusion, and driving digital and climate-smart innovation across the continent’s agri-food systems.

The Mastercard Foundation, particularly, has been a significant and recurring presence in the AFSF’s journey. Their involvement primarily centers on youth empowerment, financial inclusion, digital agriculture, and gender equality within agri-food systems. This commitment was powerfully demonstrated at the 2015 Lusaka Summit, where they partnered with AGRA to expand financial services for smallholder farmers. A watershed moment arrived at the 2019 Accra Summit, where Mastercard Foundation’s President and CEO, Reeta Roy, announced a landmark US$500 million investment to launch the “Young Africa Works” program, bringing the Foundation’s total commitment to African agriculture to an impressive US$1 billion. This substantial pledge was designed to provide capital and support to young “agripreneurs,” cementing their role as a driving force in this sector.

Youth at the Helm: Mastercard Foundation’s AFSF 2025 Presence

This year’s AFSF theme, “Africa’s Youth Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” resonates deeply with the Mastercard Foundation’s core mission. Their team is not just attending; they are leading, moderating, judging, and presenting across numerous high-level sessions, amplifying youth voices and co-creating solutions for a sustainable future.

Key figures from the Mastercard Foundation will be prominent throughout the summit:

• Wambui Chege, Director of Agrifood Systems, will be a prominent speaker at the Day 1 Opening Ceremony, the “Commitments Review” plenary, and the Day 0 Youth Welcome Event, also presenting an award at the Closing Ceremony.
• Jane Baldwin, Head of Agrifood Systems, Pan African Programs, will lend her expertise as a judge for the prestigious GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition and deliver a keynote for the Youth Ag Innovation Showcase.
• Lizz Ntonjira, Director of Pan African Program Communications, will moderate several critical sessions, including “Investing in Youth,” “The Great Munk Debate,” and “Nourishing Youth Job Creation in Agrifood Systems.”
• Atsuko Toda, Senior Director, Entrepreneurship Development, will facilitate a fireside chat during the “Investing in Youth” session and present awards at the GAFP Fellows Graduation, among other engagements.
• Esther Dassanou, Gender Director, will be a vital voice in sessions like “Empower Her: Next-gen Women in Agri-food” and “Women, Work and Wealth: Driving Inclusive Systems.”
• Rica Rwigamba, Interim Country Director for Senegal and WAEMU, will deliver an intergenerational keynote at the “Stakeholder Roundtable – Youth Networking Event.”
• Marietou Seck, Head of Climate Action, will speak in the “Financing Digital Agriculture and Agroecology” event.
• Rachael Kadama, Director Market Development for Community Pass at Mastercard, will contribute to discussions on “Youth and Innovation as the Architect for Africa’s Agricultural Transformation.”

Co-Hosting and Driving Dialogue

Beyond individual contributions, the Mastercard Foundation is actively shaping the dialogue by hosting and partnering on several impactful sessions:

• “No One Left Behind Dialogue”: The Foundation is hosting this crucial interactive discussion on ensuring inclusion for displaced youth, persons with disabilities, and refugees within Africa’s agri-food systems.
• “Investing in Youth”: This session, held in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will explore strategies to accelerate investment in young people, bringing together youth leaders, financiers, and policymakers.
• “Nourishing Youth Job Creation in Agrifood Systems”: Organized with GAIN, this special event focuses on strengthening agri-food systems to create meaningful jobs for young rural women by addressing opportunity, awareness, and capacity.
• “Empowering Young Women in Agri Food Systems: The Entrepreneurship Pathway”: The Foundation is a key speaker in this side event dedicated to scaling entrepreneurship as a systemic lever for women’s empowerment.
• They are also strongly represented in sessions focusing on “Financing Digital Agriculture and Agroecology”, discussing digital public infrastructure, and through Jane Baldwin’s role as a judge for the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition.

The Mastercard Foundation’s through strategic investments, capacity building, and innovative solutions, they are helping to lay the groundwork for a dynamic, resilient, and inclusive agri-food future across the continent. Attendees are encouraged to visit the official AFSF 2025 website for comprehensive details about the forum and the full schedule of events.