A fresh take on street food is helping to reshape both poultry consumption and youth employment across Ethiopia. In a creative effort to tackle urban unemployment and malnutrition, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Skills, has launched a groundbreaking chicken-frying street stall initiative in four cities: Addis Ababa, Adama, Hawassa, and Bahir Dar.
Officially rolled out in Adama in January 2024, the program brings hope to unemployed young people while promoting wider access to affordable, high-protein meals in urban areas.
From Training to Transformation
As part of the pilot phase, 45 young men and women from the selected cities underwent intensive training covering broiler chicken production, food hygiene, customer service, entrepreneurship, and business planning. The goal: to prepare them not just to run food stalls, but to thrive as small-scale food entrepreneurs with long-term growth potential.
To help these startups take flight, ILRI provided essential start-up equipment, including 10 gas and 10 electric stoves, valued at around USD 43,000. These were handed over to the Ministry of Labor and Skills for distribution to the newly trained youth, removing a major barrier to entry and increasing the likelihood of business success.
Fighting Malnutrition Through Food Innovation
Beyond job creation, the project directly tackles Ethiopia’s nutritional challenges. Millions of Ethiopians—especially children—still suffer from stunting and wasting due to protein deficiencies and limited dietary diversity. The frying stalls address this by offering ready-to-eat, high-protein chicken meals at affordable prices in low-income urban neighborhoods.
This approach brings healthier options to the street-food scene while aligning with national efforts to combat hunger and undernutrition.
Empowering Youth, One Business at a Time
The initiative is about more than just food. It’s about empowering youth to be job creators, not job seekers. In a country where many young people struggle to find work, the program offers a powerful alternative — entrepreneurship. Participants are now positioned to expand their businesses, potentially employing others and scaling their operations over time.
This model directly supports Ethiopia’s broader development goals: boosting employment, fostering innovation, and creating more inclusive economic growth.
Part of a Bigger Picture
The chicken-frying stall program is a component of ILRI’s wider Tropical Poultry Genetic Solutions (TPGS) initiative, which focuses on improving poultry productivity through better genetics, market access, and value chain efficiency. It’s a strong example of how agricultural innovation can be paired with youth development to tackle multiple national challenges — from economic resilience to food security.
A Scalable Model for the Future
As urban populations continue to rise and demand for quick, affordable meals grows, initiatives like this are becoming increasingly relevant. With continued support and possible expansion, the project’s partners hope this model will inspire similar youth-led food enterprises across other regions in Ethiopia and beyond.
In the words of its backers, this is more than just a fried chicken stall — it’s a recipe for empowerment, nutrition, and sustainable livelihoods.
