Asongtaba Cottage Industry in partnership with the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) is embarking on a Guinea-fowl Outgrowing Project in the Upper East Region.

The Project which is expected to take off fully this month, July, is to be replicated in the Northern and Upper West Regions and is estimated to engage about 2000 youth.

This came to light when the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama visited the project site at Sumbrungu near Bolgatanga to inspect and inaugurate it.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview during the inaugural ceremony, the Executive Director of Asongtaba Cottage Industry, Mr. Henry Kanga explained that under the project, a value chain approach would be adopted.

He indicated that the industry would train the youth under the NYEP in various models including brooding, hatching, feathers, marketing and sales among others, where the youth were expected to select the model of their choice.

“The beneficiaries of the NYEP will undergo a six-month training in their area of interest in the Guinea-fowl project. Some would be trained in brooding, some on how to crush the birds' feathers into pillows, some on hatching, some feeding, some on marketing and sales among others“.

Mr. Kanga indicated that everything had been set for the project to commence and expressed the optimism that apart from giving jobs to the NYEP beneficiaries, the project which would be extended to the other two northern regions would help boost the guinea fowl industry since demand outweighed supply.

The Vice President who expressed happiness about the project said the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) would support the sector to ensure that it was replicated in the other two northern regions to create more jobs and wealth for the people.

“Guinea-fowl is a delicacy in Europe. SADA will empower the rearing of Guinea-fowls in the Northern ecological zones to ensure that it becomes the leading exporter on the International market”**