The third Livestock, Poultry, Fisheries (LiPF) Training Tradeshow has been launched with a call on the youth to take to agriculture to create their own jobs.
The Chief of Party of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Ghana Poultry Project (GPP), Madam Carianne De Boer, who made the call at the official launch of the LiPF at the Nungua Farms, said agriculture and particularly livestock, poultry and fisheries sectors held great prospects of creating employment for the youth.
An initiative of Agrihouse Foundation, a non-governmental agricultural capacity building, innovation organisation committed to the promotion of agribusiness, the two-day programme is being organised in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winner’s Association of Ghana (NFAWAG).
Slated for May 21 to 22, 2021 in Accra, the programme is under the auspices of the USDA Ghana Poultry Project (GPP).
Under the theme “We Move,” the programme is being sponsored by USDA GPP and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
As part of the programme, a committee with representations from Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, NBSSI, NFAWAG, Egg Secretariat, Fisheries Commission and Animal Production Directorate of the MOFA was inaugurated to oversee the planning and hosting of the programme.
Madam De Boer who delivered the keynote address indicated that the animal sector offered great opportunities to lift people out of poverty and urged the youth and the citizenry to venture into the livestock, poultry, and fisheries sectors to create their own businesses.
She said Ghana could tap the potentials of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) if the agriculture was promoted and stressed that businesses in the agricultural value chain in the country should be strengthened to tap the benefits of ACFTA.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Eric Hudson Asamani commended the Agrihouse Foundation for the programme to promote the livestock, poultry and fisheries sectors.
Mr Asamani entreated banks to allocate a chunk of their portfolios in financing of agriculture to spur the growth of the sector and entreated the players in the agriculture value chain to take advantage of the programme to strike new business partnerships and expand their businesses.
The Chief Executive Officer of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa-Akosa said the programme was started three years ago to highlight on the livestock, poultry and fisheries sectors.
She said the programme would afford the participants a learning environment to explore deeper ways to take advantage of opportunities in the animal agricultural sector.
Ms Akyaa-Akosa indicated that the LiPF had come at an opportune time to inform and educate participants about alternative means to create jobs and make additional income especially, in the agricultural sector, since many people in the country had lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“LiPF is a relevant intervention and it is now more relevant as it seeks to build resilience and confidence in individuals who have lost their source of income and looking for alternative means in these times. It is also here to encourage people who are passionate and interested in the animal agricultural sector to let them see the multiple opportunities they can take advantage of,” she said.
The Deputy Head of Marketing and Communications of ADB, Mohammed Ali said his outfit for the past three years had been supporting Agrihouse Foundation’s programmes to promote the livestock, poultry fisheries sectors.
In line with the bank’s commitment to promote agriculture, he said ADB had established an Agriculture Division to focus on the entire agricultural value chain.
The Director of Nungua Farms, Amen Ama Bruce-Ghartey in her remarks said her outfit was proud to be associated with the programme and said the Nungua Farms was established in 1940 as the National Livestock Breeding station of Animal Production Directorate under MoFA.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
