The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Ghana Poultry Project (GPP) has held a mentorship and business boot camp for young entrepreneurs. The project trained over 150 young entrepreneurs interested in the poultry business across three implementing regions – Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Bono.
The boot camp marks the beginning of the 4th cohort of the Poultry Mentorship Program. It was under the theme “Creating Access and Opportunities for the Next Generation Agribusiness Entrepreneur.”
In her remarks at the boot camp, the Chief of Party of GPP, Carianne de Boer, congratulated the young leaders for their enthusiasm to be relevant in the future African agricultural economy. She noted that the challenges in the agricultural sector, especially for youth participation are well documented. She therefore admonished the youth saying “possibilities abound when we dare to dream.” Ms. De Boer added that USDA is committed to empowering the youth, especially young women to create sustainable employment in the agribusiness sector.
On his part, Mr Asiwome Biekro said economic sustainable development of agriculture must be prioritised to achieve global food security. There are lots of rooms to improve Africa’s food production systems to feed the continent and beyond, he added.
“USDA through its GPP believes that young entrepreneurs in poultry business can prepare to face the complex demands of the future.”
Mr Asiwome Biekro, Communications and Marketing Specialist, GPP.
He said USDA and ACDI/VOCA built the skills and knowledge of past mentees in the poultry business to impact their families and communities.
“More than 20 of the 45 past mentees were supported to establish their small businesses whilst others had gained employment along the value chain.”
Mr Asiwome Biekro, Communications and Marketing Specialist, GPP.
The Boot Camp Training
The boot camp provided training opportunities for participants and a chance to interact with industry players along the value chain. The industry players included farmers, agritech and fintech providers, regulators, financial institutions, and input suppliers.
In addition, researchers from academia and representatives from government institutions participated in shaping the conversations. The conversations focused on technology and innovation in poultry as well as sustainable animal husbandry.
The National Board of Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) provided training on Business Development and Record-Keeping. On the other hand, AV Ventures, an impact investment Company and a for-profit subsidiary of ACDI/VOCA took the entrepreneurs through Financing Models suitable for early-stage agri-businesses.
In a panel discussion, both participants and panelists identified areas that could lead youth to succeed in agribusiness. They also identified constraints and strategies to navigate barriers in Ghana’s Poultry System. Participants also made industrial trips to poultry farms including feed manufacturing companies, meat processing facilities, and hatchery. Participants took a trip to Eco Feeding Company in Tema, and also visited Ransboat Poultry Farm in Nsawam.
Thirty participants (10 per region) will be selected based on their business ideas to move to the next stage of getting placement on farms for hands-on training and mentorship. Each mentee will present a finetuned version of their business proposals at the end of the period for evaluation. Out of the proposals, grants will be awarded for mentees to implement the top 15 proposals.
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