Estonian minister to discuss creating jobs for African youth with EU, African colleagues

TALLINN – Estonian Minister of Rural Affairs Tarmo Tamm is set to discuss opportunities for creating jobs for African youth in the food and agricultural sector with colleagues from the African Union and the European Union in Rome on Sunday.

"It is important to make work in the agricultural sector more attractive by using innovative solutions, including opportunities in the field of IT," Tamm said in a press release. "Developing agriculture and rural life is important both in the European Union and Africa. There are many opportunities for cooperation which would benefit both sides, for example, cooperation in the field of research or in using IT-solutions. It is also important to develop trade relations."

Tamm will participate in a work group which will deal with the role of research applications and IT opportunities in intensifying agriculture and making it more attractive. The aim of the meeting is to build up political engagement ahead of the Africa-EU Summit in November, which will focus on youth employment and the importance of the role of agriculture in solving youth unemployment.

Over 230 delegates from 30 African and 23 EU member states are set to participate in the second meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the African Union and the European Union. The meeting will be hosted by Estonia as the new EU presidency along with the African Union Commission and European Commission. The main focus of the meeting will first and foremost be on job opportunities for youth in agriculture as they make up more than 50 percent of employment.

Tamm in the framework of the conference is also scheduled to meet with Montenegro's Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simovic, Dutch Minister for Agriculture Martijn van Dam, Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture Bronius Markauskas and Algerian Minister of Agriculture Abdelkader Bouazhgi. Topics to be discussed at the meetings include bilateral cooperation and developing mutual trade.