The Burundian agricultural sector employs about 85 % of the population but remains dominated by low value-added production systems and limited industrialisation. Despite high quantity of sweet potato production, the lack of processing infrastructure, limited access to financing, and low market integration prevent young people from participating in agri-industrial value chains. This article demonstrates that the industrialisation of sweet potato through youth-led processing units, targeted financing mechanisms, and market systems aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can create jobs, reduce rural poverty, and diversify exports. It concludes by confirming that structural investments in agri-food infrastructure are essential to transform agricultural abundance into economic opportunities.
Keywords: Sweet potato, Agri-food industrialisation, Rural youth, Value chains, AfCFTA, Burundi
1. Introduction: the ambition of young people in the face of structural barriers
Pierre, a graduate in 2022 from the province of Gitega, attempted to launch a sweet potato processing business after identifying an urban demand for orange-fleshed sweet potato flour, as well as opportunities related to the AfCFTA. His initiative did not fail due to a lack of skills in agro-processing, but because of structural constraints. In his home province, sweet potato production was abundant, but there were no private processing units, no public agro-food centres, nor cooperative drying or grinding infrastructures. Access to financing was limited by collateral requirements, while institutional mechanisms for certification and access to export were insufficient. This situation highlights a structural deficit in processing infrastructure and agro-industrial financing aimed at young people.
2. Why Burundian youth remain confined to low value-added segments
Agriculture employs around 85 % of the workforce and supports nearly 90 % of rural households, contributing to nearly 40 % of GDP. However, the growth of the sector remains below 2 % per year due to a low level of mechanisation and a high vulnerability to climate shocks. Wage employment accounts for only about 3 % of total jobs.3 % of total jobs.
Every year, about 150,000 young people are in the labour market. However, nearly 90 % work in the informal sector and 14 % are neither in employment, nor in education, nor in training.
Although Burundi produced nearly one million tons of sweet potato in 2022, and is among the main global producers, a negligible share of this production enters formal export channels. This shows that high production does not automatically translate into high value-added economic opportunities for youth.
3. Production and export: the paradox of the sweet potato
In 2022, Burundi exported approximately, only 600 kg of sweet potato for a value of just over 100 US dollars. This reflects a near-absence of value-added creation as well as formalised agro-industrial activities oriented towards export in the sector. By comparison, coffee and tea exports reached 36 million and 26 million dollars.
This difference highlights a deficit in processing, industrial skills, and market integration, limiting the ability of young people and smallholders to access higher incomes.
4. Structural, infrastructural and institutional constraints
The availability of agricultural land is severely limited in Burundi, which reduces households' ability to generate sustainable incomes. More than 80% of households operate plots smaller than 0.5 hectare due to high population density and land fragmentation, a level below the viability threshold estimated at 0.9 hectare.
Access to financing is also restricted by high transaction costs and the absence of guarantees, leading about 90% of farmers to resort to informal financing mechanisms. This situation limits investments and hinders the growth of youth-led agricultural enterprises.
Infrastructure deficits exacerbate these constraints: limited access to electricity, low digital connectivity with around 10% of users, high transport costs, insufficient road infrastructure and inadequate storage.. Land constraints also reduce investment security.
Thus, the combination of a poorly industrialised sector, a dominant informal labour market, and the absence of structured value chains explains why young people remain concentrated in low value-added activities.
5. The AfCFTA: an opportunity for structural transformation
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement brings together about 1.3 billion people across 55 African economies, with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) estimated at over 3.3 trillion US dollars. Its implementation could help lift about 30 million people out of extreme poverty. It is also expected to increase intra-African trade by about 50% and strengthen trade links with emerging markets, thereby improving the continent's resilience to global shocks.
The implementation of the AfCFTA adopts an integrated approach combining reforms, infrastructure development, trade facilitation, and support for the private sector, with particular attention given to MSMEs, women, and youth. It aims to strengthen value chains and improve access to regional markets.
However, beyond the displayed potential, its realisation depends on the ability of member states to harmonise their trade policies and to lift several structural constraints, notably infrastructure deficiencies, non-tariff barriers and divergences between legal frameworks, trade rules and institutional capacities, which increase transaction costs, complicate procedures and hinder regional integration, thus reducing opportunities for the inclusion of youth and women in value chains.
6. Why the processing sweet potato is strategic
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a highly resilient crop in the face of climate change, well adapted to rain-fed systems and characterised by a cycle of short production of 3 to 5 months. Orange-fleshed varieties also have major nutritional interest, contributing to reducing vitamin A deficiencies, particularly among children and women of childbearing age.
Processing sweet potato into flour (used for bread, doughnuts and other consumer products), into chips and into various derived products significantly increases added value, extends the shelf life of the product and facilitates its access to regional and international markets, particularly within the framework of the AfCFTA.
However, despite its strong potential for climate adaptation and contribution to food security, the inadequacy of processing and storage infrastructure still limits its effective integration into climate-resilient value chains, thereby reducing its impact on food security, job creation, and the improvement of rural incomes.
7. Political and operational levers
To transform agricultural production into a driver of value creation and jobs for youth, several political and operational levers can be mobilised:
- The development of processing units led by youth would strengthen local added value through infrastructure suitable for drying, grinding, packaging, and storing agricultural products.
- Targeted agro-industrial financing, through medium-term loans, public guarantee mechanisms, and funds dedicated to young entrepreneurs, would facilitate investment in processing and marketing activities..
- Capacity building programmes in agrifood management, financial education, and value chain development would strengthen the skills of young people to manage and develop agri-industrial businesses. Technical training in processing technologies and quality standards would also improve productivity and competitiveness in regional markets.
- Stimulating domestic demand, particularly through institutional purchases by schools, hospitals, and public food programmes, could create stable outlets for locally processed agricultural products.
- Finally, better preparation for export within the framework of the AfCFTA would require support in certification, compliance with quality standards, and facilitation of regional trade in order to integrate African markets with higher added value.
The consistent implementation of these measures would constitute a strategic lever to accelerate the structural transformation of the agricultural sector, while sustainably strengthening the economic inclusion of young people and women, as well as the competitiveness of Burundi in regional and international markets.
8. Conclusion: from roots to regional markets
The sweet potato sector in Burundi represents a strategic opportunity for inclusive economic transformation. However, the low level of processing and limited exports are explained by structural constraints related to infrastructure, financing, and public policies.
Targeted investments in transformation infrastructure, youth financing mechanisms and skills development, and integration into regional markets can transform sweet potato cultivation into a driver of job creation, export diversification and inclusive development.
Burundian farmers and youth are already cultivating this resource; it remains to provide them with the necessary systems to transform this production into wealth and innovation.
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One question remains essential:
What is the most produced crop in your region, but which continues to suffer from a lack of processing and storage capacity?
