The Apex Body of Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC-Apex Ghana), with support from the Peter Gilgan Foundation, has organized a 2-day training on Leadership Skills Development under the Women in Livestock Microenterprise Development (WILMED) project.
The project, implemented by Veterinarians Without Borders (VWB) Canada, aims to build the capacity of women leaders, provide financial literacy training, and offer microloans to support business growth.
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The Executive Secretary of WIPVaC, Emmanuella Kpeli, explained that the training is designed to sharpen the soft skills of their leaders across the country, who are expected to transfer this knowledge to their members back in the regions.
Mavis Nketiaba Wobill, National Secretary of WIPVaC who also doubles as the Central Region President, emphasized the importance of succession planning, saying, “We are training our members to take up leadership positions.”
Dr. Victoria Norgbey, President of WIPVAC, reiterated that WIPVAC was formed in 2017 as an initiative of the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and has since partnered with various organizations. The organization’s key focus areas include capacity building, leadership development, and succession planning, with a strong membership base of over 2,000 members across the country.
Dr. Norgbey emphasized the importance of preparation and opportunity in the poultry industry, saying, “Good luck is preparation plus opportunity. So we are preparing ourselves very well to take advantage of the government’s initiatives such as the Nkuko Nkite Nkite programme, to move the poultry industry forward.”
The WILMED project focuses on training and equipping women to raise poultry and cultivate nutritious crops, expanding access to animal health services, and supporting women’s leadership and decision-making through skills development and access to resources.
The project has kick-started with training women-led cooperatives in leadership skills development to foster group cohesion and sustainability. With a focus on empowering women in the poultry value chain, this initiative is expected to improve the livelihoods of women and support their businesses.
The partnership prioritizes support to vulnerable women—particularly those with limited access to services—by building their capacity to lead sustainable livelihood activities, improve household nutrition, and access basic veterinary and health care services.
The WILMED Project focuses on:
- Training and equipping women to raise poultry, rabbits including other livestock and cultivate nutritious crops for food and income generation.
- Expanding access to animal health services through trained para veterinarians and community-based One Health Champions
- Supporting women’s leadership and decision-making through skills development, community mobilization, and access to resources.
The project would support activities including Capacity building in Leadership Skills Development, Community Animal Health Workers and Financial literacy with a component for giving out micro loans to farmers to expand their businesses.
