The Asongtaba Cottage Industry and Exchange Programme (ACI&EP) on Wednesday said its public private partnership with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) was to produce over three million guinea fowls annually for both local and international markets.

It is also to develop the skills and interest of 1,500 unemployed youth in all the stages of guinea fowl production and marketing value chain through quality and practical training by the end of 2015, an ACI&EP First Quarter Progress Report, obtained by the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said.

The project’s main objective is to organise and empower the youth of SADA Zone to adopt modern methods for increased guinea fowl production as a strategy for sustainable social and economic development.

The project is also to assist beneficiaries to deliver quality products not only for the local market but the global market place to ensure that Ghana becomes a leading exporter of guinea fowl and products to enhance foreign exchange earnings. The report said the project also aims at establishing a comprehensive production village out-grower concept and ultramodern guinea fowl processing plants in the SADA Zone to facilitate professional processing and packing of guinea fowls and their products for onward distribution/sale to both local and international markets.

It said high capacity cold storage facilities in the SADA Zone would be established to cater for the storage of guinea fowl products and meat awaiting onward transportation to customers outside the region and vibrant distribution and marketing channels to ensure ready market for the produce.

According to the report, ACI&EP would produce five types of guinea fowls including the pearl variety; the grey breasted variety; the lavender variety; and the white variety. The project would also create employment opportunities for some 7,607 Ghanaians along the value chain.

The project covers Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions as well as the districts of Tain, Kintampo-South and North, Pru, Atebubu-Amantin and Sene in the Brong Ahafo Region. Krachi West, Krachi East, Nkwanta-North and Nkwanta-South in the Volta Region would also benefit from the project.