The Atewa West District Assembly in the Eastern region of Ghana has initiated a training program aimed at empowering persons with disabilities (PWD) through poultry farming, with the goal of reducing unemployment among this group.

Unemployment rates are notably high among persons with disabilities, particularly women, due to the intersecting factors of gender, disability, poverty, cultural beliefs, and practices.

Recognizing the potential for economic empowerment in the poultry sector, the Atewa West District Assembly has taken steps to address this issue.

In 2021, Ghana imported $410 million worth of poultry meat, ranking it as the 15th largest importer of poultry meat in the world. Poultry meat was also the 6th most imported product in Ghana that year.

The District Chief Executive for Atewa West, Seth Asante, believes that partnering with Farm Academy, a local poultry production and research company, will equip persons with disabilities in the district with the skills and resources needed to meet the growing demand for poultry meat and products within the country.

He said the first batch of beneficiaries will receive 50 birds and technical support to start.

“This is going to be a breakthrough in the assistance that we give to them.so they will be economically empowered to be able to take care of themselves and their families” the DCE said.

Lawrence Afagbegee, an Agric Economist with expertise in poultry production, praised the initiative and highlighted that Farm Academy has developed a sustainable organic method for feeding poultry birds. This method is cost-effective and improves the quality of meat and eggs. It is particularly suitable for persons with disabilities to participate in poultry farming. This is seen as a significant development in Ghana’s poultry sector, especially in light of the rising costs of imported poultry feeds.

“We believe it is a kind of work they can easily do with their family members at their backyards on a smaller scale .A few birds and as they can cope with it they grow gradually by increasing their birds”.

He added “there is a very huge challenge with the traditional form of poultry keeping very cost intensive. Very expensive sometimes we are unable to compete with the imported birds it makes it very difficult for poultry farmers most of their farms are collapsing. So we have to come up with a local method to feed the poultry so that we can compete favorably with the imported ones hence we use local feeds and use the breed that is easily put on semi-free range and the once that consumes less feed, disease resistance and equally fast growing birds”.

According to Kenneth Asare, General Manager of Farm Academy located in Akyem Kwabeng, the district capital of Atewa West, it utilizes plant-based nutritional supplements and antibiotics such as azolla, moringa, bitter leaves, and aloe vera to create feeds for the birds, ultimately reducing production costs.

“We decided to use other means of feeding them using wheatbrand mixed with either maize and adding azolla, then coming to the medication side we use bitter leaves ,the azolla, and moringas to add to their waters so that it will help boost their immune systems”.

This initiative not only aims to provide economic opportunities for persons with disabilities but also contributes to reducing Ghana’s reliance on poultry imports and enhances the sustainability of poultry farming in the country.