The initiatives include mentoring and coaching of some youth, especially females in a bid to bring them on board the value chain.

The National President of the body, Mrs Victoria Norgbey, told the Graphic Business in an interview that the apex body was committed to ensuring that production along the poultry value chain was sustainable to contribute to economic growth.

“We are providing mentorship and coaching of the youth to bring them on board the agricultural landscape, particularly in businesses along the poultry value chain,” she said.

Highlighting some of the initiatives, she said during the 2020 International Women’s Day celebrations (IWD), the Chief of Party of Ghana Poultry Project presented a poultry start-up cheque for GHC20,000 to Miss Gloria Agbavitor, a 25-year-old lady who had been mentored to enter the poultry business.

She said the group also engaged female students from the University of Ghana on opportunities in the poultry industry as part of activities by WIPVaC-Apex to commemorate this year’s IWD.

She also used the opportunity to extend an invitation to women in the agricultural value chain and specifically to those in the poultry sector to join the value chain.

WIPVaC-Apex at a glance

Mrs Norgbey said the group had been involved in advocacy and research activities for enabling environment for sustainable livestock development.

She said in 2019, with sponsorship from the BUSAC Fund and its donors, USAID and DANIDA, WIPVaC-Apex through extensive research, obtained evidence to advocate the speedy implementation of the ECOWAS Veterinary Pharmaceutical Protocol which was yet to be operationalised in Ghana.

“We have also carried out capacity building and training towards increased production and sustainable poultry development. Members of the association through the Pullet Support Outgrower Programme, funded by the Ghana Poultry Project, benefited from trainings such as poultry health/biosecurity, poultry husbandry, group dynamics and team strengthening, accounting, marketing and record keeping as well as egg cleaning/packaging for profit maximisation .GPP also supported research for advocacy,” she said.

She added that the apex body had also provided extension services to the membership with support from the USDA-Ghana Poultry Project as well as organisation of educational and sensitisation campaigns such as the Egg Consumption and the Eat Ghana Chicken campaigns.

“The apex body has also promoted economic empowerment of its members through the formation of Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Scheme, which has given sound financial base for some businesses,” she said.

Mrs Norgbey said the association had enjoyed support from the USDA projects (AMPLIFIES and Ghana Poultry Project) for Poultry Value Chain Development activities, AU-IBAR, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Veterinary Services Directorate and Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund with its donors DANIDA and USAID and Food and Agriculture Organisation.