The Ghana Chicken Project (GPP) under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has conducted a two-day masterclass course for workers and retirees on how to run a viable local poultry company.
“Highlighting Economic Opportunities in Ghana’s Poultry Sector” was the focus of the workshop.
Raymond Denteh, Technical Team Lead for the Ghana Poultry Project, highlighted that the Ghana Poultry Project Masterclass is a program designed to introduce potential investors, poultry farmers, and retirees to the opportunities in Ghana’s poultry value chain.
According to him, the sector is a viable one in which the potentials are yet to be fully tapped due to financial constraints, among others.
GPP’s Chief of Party, Carianne de Boer indicated that the masterclass was organized as part of the project’s skills development programmes which includes youth mentorship.
This time around she added, the objective is to assist potential investors to build more sustainable poultry enterprises in Ghana by creating the platform for them to learn from existing successful businesses.
She further charged the participants to move beyond rhetoric and practice key learnings from their mentors.
The programme brought together several poultry entrepreneurs to share their experiences including Chief Executive of Ransboat Farms, Ransford Atiemo and Chief Executive of Rockland Farms and Meats, Edith Wheatland as resource personnel.
Mr Atiemo highlighted those poor management systems that keep employees unchecked can quickly collapse poultry businesses.
He cited examples to explain how easy it is for employees to invent and deploy innovative stealing strategies and their crippling effects on farms.
Meanwhile, participants described the programme as timely due to the current declining state of the poultry industry, and especially at a time when inputs are in short supply and the sector is grappling with an imminent outbreak of Avian Influenza.
Ghana is currently dealing with an outbreak of Avian Influenza in certain parts of the country which he pointed out that farms with strong biosecurity measures are likely to be spared.
He further admonished the participants to start right by consulting their district veterinarians for advice to enable them to minimize risks of diseases.
