Empowering Women in Poultry Value Chain: WIPVaC Celebrates International Women’s Day
The Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC) has marked International Women’s Day with a call to action to empower women in the poultry industry.
Speaking at the event on the theme “Accelerate Action, (30 years after Beijing)”, Dr. Victoria Norgbey, National President of WIPVaC, emphasized the importance of supporting women in the poultry value chain.
Women play a crucial role in the poultry value chain, but often lack the necessary expertise to run a profitable business,” Dr. Norgbey said. “WIPVaC is committed to addressing this gap and promoting women’s empowerment in the industry.”
Dr. Norgbey highlighted WIPVaC’s achievements, including capacity-building programs, entrepreneurship settings, and loans groups. She also emphasized the importance of equity and equality in empowering women.
When women are supported and empowered, development is faster and more sustainable,” Dr. Norgbey said. “We need to ensure that women have equal access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making positions.”
According to Dr. Victoria Norgbey, Ghana is facing a high rate of unemployment, and those who attempt to start small businesses have limited access to financial facilities. Many Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), Rural Banks, and other lenders are reluctant to finance smallholder businesses due to perceived high risks.
Dr. Victoria Norgbey stressed that, one innovative solution is the Entrepreneurship Savings and Loan Group (ESLG) scheme. This scheme brings together 15-25 people who save collectively and take small loans from their pooled savings. The group’s activities run in cycles of a year, after which the accumulated savings and loan profits are shared among members based on their individual savings.
The ESLG scheme aims to provide members with opportunities to save, invest in their businesses, and explore additional livelihoods. It also empowers them to improve their children’s nutrition and wellbeing, keeping them in school throughout.
She added that the ESLG scheme has been designed to promote financial literacy, provide access to capital, empower members, and ensure sustainability.
By promoting ESLG schemes, Ghana can address its unemployment and financial exclusion challenges, while empowering its citizens to take control of their financial futures”.
Dr. Norgbey emphasized that organizing and building the financial literacy, record-keeping, and savings culture of smallholder businesses or farmers is crucial.
A UN Global Peace Ambassador of WOLMI-I.C.C and Special Envoy to Ghana, H.E Amb. Dr. Rejoice Wodomdedzi Foli- the guest speaker at the event, called for collective action to empower women in agriculture.
We need to work together and add value to our growth, community, and economic growth,” Dr. Foli said. “We need to enable people, get our hands dirty, and take action.”
Dr. Foli, who is also a women empowerment strategist, emphasized the importance of sustainability and mentorship in empowering women. “If I have my confidence and I know I am beyond this, why don’t I encourage a younger person to become a CEO or the project director of my company and mentor, coach that person to go in for this program?” she asked.
Highlighting the strength of women, she charged women to be bold and work collectively to promote change.
Letitia Sampoa Apam, Ghana Country Coordinator for Veterinarians Without Borders-Canada, emphasized the need for urgent action to address the persistent gaps in gender equality.
Thirty years after the Beijing Conference, we are still far from achieving gender equality,” Apam said. “We need to accelerate action and gather momentum to address the systemic barriers that prevent women from achieving their full potential.”
Apam noted that Ghana has made some progress in promoting gender equality, including the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law. However, she emphasized that more needs to be done to address the systemic barriers that prevent women from achieving their full potential.
We need to ensure that women and girls are equally empowered and able to participate fully in society,” Apam said. “We need to address the root causes of inequality and promote a culture of inclusivity and respect.”
As part of activities to make this year’s event, WIPVaC has earmarked fund raising activities for business sustainability and capacity building on business plan development to support women.
The event was attended by women from various sectors of the poultry industry, as well as development partners and organizations. WIPVaC used the occasion to call for support from like-minded organizations to achieve its goal of empowering women in the poultry value chain.
As the world marks International Women’s Day, WIPVaC’s call to action serves as a reminder of the importance of empowering women and promoting gender equality in all sectors.
