How a Youth Entrepreneurship Program in Benin Turns Ambition Into Income

Meet a young farmer who is making his entrepreneurial dreams a reality thanks to practical business skills he learned from TechnoServe.

Bertin Tchieta, 30, proudly shows off the crops and livestock on his farm in Boukoumbé, northwestern Benin. 

In this semi-arid region, just across the border from the neighboring country of Togo, Bertin has coaxed a wide variety of produce ranging from corn and sorghum to soy, bambara nut, rice, and beans. He also raises goats and started poultry farming a few years ago. 

This is the foundation of “Massantchouho,” the enterprise he started in 2023. 

“Stumbling Around in the Dark”: A Young Farmer Before Training

Growing up in a farming family, Bertin knows the land. He attended Lycées Techniques Agricoles of Natitingou, where he expanded his entrepreneurial ideas. But like many entrepreneurs, he didn’t know where to start. 

“Honestly, I was even confused about distinguishing between ‘family’ and ‘business’ revenue,” he said. “I was just stumbling around in the dark. I’d just wing it when I produced something; I didn’t keep track of anything, I didn’t write anything down.”

He faced financial hurdles but was unable to secure a government loan. 

The one thing he was confident about? 

“Entrepreneurship is the key to development.” 

It is precisely this belief that underpins TechnoServe’s BeniBiz program, which provides food and agribusiness entrepreneurs with the skills needed to cultivate prosperous businesses and economies, as well as food-secure communities. 

In 2024, Bertin joined the business accelerator project, which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development, the Swiss Development Cooperation, and the European Union. Through the program, he learned not only to manage his cash flow, separate funds, and manage his time, but also to develop, perfect, and innovate his business ideas. 

A Business Plan, a Loan, and Real Revenue

The entrepreneurship training helped Bertin turn his weaknesses into opportunities. “I received a detailed education on running a business from A to Z,” he said. 

He created a business plan with support from his BeniBiz business coach, helping him secure a 150,000 CFA ($260) loan for agricultural production. His business plan won a further 250,000 CFA ($430) in a competition to expand his livestock operation. In 2024, the turnover from his farm reached 450,000 CFA ($781) and his goat business generated an additional 110,000 CFA ($191).

Bertin wants to plow the money back into his agribusiness. He plans to buy a vehicle and invest in machinery to increase food production on the farm. 

“I am proud to have ended poverty and hunger in my home,” he said, as he carefully measured and mixed a special feed for his goats. He plans to crossbreed local goats with foreign breeds to improve quality and increase revenue. In a few years, he plans on producing enough goat milk to sell commercially. 

A Focus on Youth for the Future 

Benin is a young country; nearly two-thirds of its 13.7 million inhabitants are under 25. Many face a job environment plagued by high rates of underemployment and job insecurity. 

This is why TehnoServe equips young entrepreneurs with the skills to pursue sustainable livelihoods through agribusiness. In highly vulnerable border municipalities exposed to violent extremism, we partner with local organizations like Caritas Bénin and Sian’Son ONG. 

We were also proud to work with the Ministry of Technical, Secondary Education and Vocational Training to integrate BeniBiz’s entrepreneurship training modules into the national technical training curriculum, giving youth essential managerial and commercial skills, focusing particularly on sustainable and resilient agro-food production and processing techniques. 

In 2024, the project helped entrepreneurs in Benin generate a total financial gain of $6.2 million, with women contributing 48% of that total.

The results are clear in the confidence of youth like Bertin, who offers words of encouragement: “Let us work hard to transform every obstacle into an opportunity.”