A six-day leadership training has been organized for the executives of the Apex body of the Women in Poultry Value Chain to equip them with the appropriate communication tools to promote their trade.
The training which seeks to enhance participants knowledge and the Association’s capacity to effectively coordinate, monitor and contribute in the competitive market, was organized with support from the American Soyabean Association (ASA), World Initiative for soy in Human Health (WISHH) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
The Director of Animal Production at the Ministry of Food and Agricultures, Edwin Bekoe, observed that even though about 67% of rural women in Ghana engage in agriculture and its related activities, they earn very low income because they are often used as family labourers.
Reiterating the importance of the training, he mentioned that the training would equip the executives of WIPVaC to be in control over their communication and leadership approaches.
“The workshop would train the executives of WIPVaC to acquire leadership skills that would enable them to play their roles as leaders in the poultry value chain efficiently which will also help to address concerns on gender segregation and inequalities facing women in agriculture” he stressed.
Bekoe urged all participants to be fully dedicated to the training while ensuring that they gain the requisite knowledge and skills that would help increase livestock population.
The President of WIPVaC, Dr. Victoria Norgbey , was particularly excited about the training, saying it would equip them to acquire leadership skills and also develop strategic plan that would guide them to sustain their businesses.
“We will acquire the needed leadership skills to go and strengthen our various groups and increase the number of women in the poultry value chain” she added.
Dr. Norgbey noted that as the group is about to celebrate its fifth anniversary this year, they are committed to working around the poultry value chain and advocate better conditions for the poultry sector.
The facilitator for the training Emelia Danquah, said they would help member of WIPVaC to draft good communication strategies that would enable them to interact better during business transactions.
She said the training session would help them understand how to coordinate their activities and demonstrate leadership in what they do.
“Since the poultry business has so many challenges, the training will prepare them with the skills to mange their business and the association”, she stressed.
Dr. Norgbey urged members of WIPVaC to set their communications objectives around the association’s strategy, adding that they must identify and apply the appropriate tools to reach their audience.
Dr. Anthony Akunzule of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) noted that the FAO will soon conduct a risk assessment of the recent bird flu outbreak in the country. The assessment will consider how the disease came into the country, how to prevent it among others.
He added that the FAO in collaboration with the Ghana Veterinary Service and other stakeholders will visit the country’s boarders, selected poultry farms and sites where migrating birds perch as part of the risk assessment. Migratory birds are know to be the major carries of avian influenza.
He therefore advised poultry farmers to continue to adhere to bio-security measures to protect their farms as well as help curb the spread of the avian influenza in the country.