On Monday, at Diamniadio, during the opening of the 19th African Food Systems Forum, Bassirou Diomaye Faye caused general hilarity by telling a personal anecdote.
In front of Paul Kagame and many international personalities, the Senegalese president revealed that two years ago, he had tried to contact Claudia Senghor, a promising young agro-economist. His message went unanswered. “I understand that she must be very busy. But I followed her every step of the way when I was setting up my farm,” he humorously recounted, before adding, “There, I think I found her.”
But who is this young woman capable of leaving a future head of state on “seen”?
At 28 years old, Claudia Senghor graduated in agro-economics and sustainable development from Laval University in Quebec. After an experience in agricultural consulting in Montreal, she founded Agrobabe in 2021, a platform that modernizes the image of agriculture and attracts youth to this key sector.
With over 350,000 followers on her social media, she popularizes good agricultural practices and demonstrates that one can be “elegant, trendy, and entrepreneurial” while succeeding in agribusiness. This innovative approach has earned her a spot in the prestigious Forbes Africa “30 Under 30” list, which distinguishes the most promising young talents on the continent.
Through Agrobabe, Claudia Senghor has already trained over 1,000 young people, supported 500 project leaders, and backed around thirty agricultural initiatives. She is also the author of a reference e-book and co-founder of MANSSAH, a pan-African network committed to sustainable and inclusive agriculture. Today, the woman who left a president on “seen” no longer needs to present her messages: it is thousands of young Africans who await hers.
