India, Feb. 20 -- Agricultural value chains, comprising dense networks of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), are crucial to East Africa's economic growth and development, according to a report by Sauti East Africa, a women-led social enterprise based in Kenya. Recent initiatives have increasingly focused on empowering women and youth within these value chains.

The report's data, collected from over 25,000 MSMEs across Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, provides a comprehensive analysis of the agricultural sector and the broader MSME landscape.

A key finding was the strong presence of youth in agricultural value chains, with approximately 72 per cent of MSMEs led by individuals aged 18 to 35. However, older MSMEs were 41 per ce...