Growing Futures: Education For Africa's Agricultural Revolution
This series is brought to you through the collaborative partnership between RUFORUM and the Mastercard Foundation.
Growing Futures: Education for Africa's Agricultural Revolution is a documentary series spotlighting Mastercard Foundation TAGDev Alumni. Transforming African Agricultural Development (TAGDev) 1.0 is a flagship initiative of RUFORUM, implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The program aims to expand opportunities for young people through higher education and practical agricultural training.
In 2025, the stories featured in Growing Futures: Education for Africa’s Agricultural Revolution returned to the communities that shaped them through a series of inspiring community screenings. These gatherings brought together alumni, community members, partners, and local leaders to celebrate the power of education, skills development, and youth-led innovation to transform agriculture.
Watch the Growing Futures: Community Screenings
The screenings created spaces for dialogue, connection, and shared learning, highlighting how young agricultural leaders are driving positive change and building more resilient communities across Africa.
This Documentary Spotlights The Global Goals Driving Change:
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Quality Education: Showcasing access to inclusive, equitable education and lifelong learning opportunities.
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Gender Equality: Highlighting empowered women entrepreneurs and girls leading change.
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Dignified Work & Economic Growth: Elevating youth-led agribusinesses supporting job growth and local wealth
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Responsible Consumption & Production: Promotes sustainable agricultural innovations.
Meet the Six Transformative Young People Of Growing Futures
Lucy Aciro
Lucy obtained a Master of Sciences in Agri-Enterprise Development at Gulu University, and has brought that knowledge back to her community to educate the local smallholder farmers to diversify and scale their crop growths, after suffering hardships through effects of climate change.
Learn more about Lucy
Gordon Victor
Gordon's social enterprise, GAO-UG, provides essential agricultural inputs such as sunflower seeds, soya beans, maize, and more.
Learn more about Gordon
Grace Aipa
Grace is a fiercely passionate champion of promoting the complete education of girls, and empowering pastoral women farmers to grow sustainable and profitable crops in the face of the climate crisis.
Learn more about Grace
Nelson Papi Kolliesuah
Nelson led a transformative agricultural initiative at the Imvepi Refugee Settlement, where he led a team who trained over 100 refugees to construct and manage vertical gardens in an otherwise barren environment: an innovation, earning the Geneva Prize for Africa and securing 3rd place globally in the 2020 Geneva Challenge on social inclusion.
Learn more about Nelson
Anthony Emaru
With a Master’s Degree in Science in Horticulture from Egerton University as a beneficiary of the Mastercard Foundation and RUFORUM’s TAGDev program, Anthony is now an impactful young changemaker.
Learn more about Anthony
Olivier Nihimbaze
Olivier Nihimbazwe is transforming access to clean drinking water in his home country, Burundi.
Learn more about OliverLearn More About Our Programs
The Mastercard Foundation works with over 500 partners in Africa and Canada and beyond to develop and implement programs that support young people’s pathways through education and access to dignified and fulfilling work.
