Nyangezi is one of the villages of the Walungu Territory, located in the province of Sud-Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), around 25 km from the town of Bukavu. Every day, small traders from the large market in this area go through the Bukavu route to stock up on manufactured goods, most of which come from neighbouring countries. This affects the price of products on the local market, while the purchasing power of many families is still a national challenge.
To meet this challenge and provide relief for retailers and for families in the Nyangezi area, the Youth Brigade of the African Agricultural Leadership Institute (AYB) set up its first maize processing unit in the Agribusiness Park in May 2024. This unit aims to promote value addition to local agricultural products and encourage the consumption of locally processed products in the area. It has a processing capacity of one tonne of maize in five hours. Since its launch, the unit has supplied wholesalers at the local Nyangezi market with high-quality ordinary maize flour.
As part of its sustainability strategy, producers in the community are encouraged to access this modern, less costly post-harvest facility, with sensitization on appropriate sorting, drying, and storage techniques. This helps small-scale producers add value to their production and access the market.
By promoting agriculture as an attractive sector for young people, the Brigade not only combats youth unemployment, but also the negative perceptions young people have of agriculture as a profession. Its actions further demonstrate that agriculture is a source of wealth and socio-economic stability at local level. In the long term, this will contribute to revitalizing the DRC’s agro-pastoral sector.