With the rallying cry ‘Eat an egg today,’ the campaign has been instrumental in educating Ghanaians about the nutritional benefits of eggs, aiming to boost consumption and support the local poultry industry.

Throughout the year, the campaign has engaged communities with the Eggnite roadshow, featuring the educational film “The Eggciting Festival” and offering “Nkosua ne meko” (egg and pepper) samples to audiences. The roadshow built upon the previous year’s momentum, reaching the Bono, Ashanti, and Northern Regions, and included educational visits to schools.

To amplify its message, the Eggstra-O campaign utilized targeted media interviews, the catchy “Di Kosua No” jingle broadcasted on various radio stations, and the Eggstra-O Food Invasion event.

This vibrant celebration of World Egg Day gathered over 400 food enthusiasts, offering culinary delights, entertainment, and health activities while showcasing the versatility of eggs.

Furthermore, the campaign actively participated in key poultry industry events, including the 13th Pre-harvest Agrihouse Conference and Exhibition, the Ghana Chicken Festival, and the 39th National Farmers Day Celebrations.

These platforms provided valuable opportunities to engage with and allowed the campaign to reach a wider audience, educated attendees and showcased the versatility of eggs through delicious samples.

A robust social media presence on Facebook (@EggstraO), Instagram (@eggstra_o), and Twitter (@eggstra_o) ensured nationwide coverage, effectively spreading the campaign’s message across Ghana.

Through these combined efforts, the campaign successfully reached over 5 million people through community engagements, television and radio broadcasts, industry events participation, food bazaars, and social media outreaches.

Looking Ahead: With the success of this year’s initiatives paving the way, WISHH and GNECS are committed to building upon the established momentum.

Exciting new initiatives and partnerships are in the pipeline, promising an even more impactful Eggstra-O campaign in the coming year.

As we applaud the campaign’s accomplishments, let’s remember our personal contributions to its mission. The next time you’re deciding on your meals, consider the potency of an egg. Break one open, create a tasty dish, and keep the ‘Eat an Egg a Day’ spirit alive!

And remember, eggs are not just delicious; they’re one of the most affordable sources of high-quality protein and essential nutrients, making them a smart choice for every wallet and everybody.

So, stay tuned, join us on our journey, and don’t forget, Eat an Egg a Day!

The campaign which was launched in Accra to commemorate the 2022 International Women’s Day is aimed at encouraging egg diets as beneficial, healthy, and a good way to address malnutrition in children as well as highlighting women’s contribution in the poultry industry.

Comfort Acheampong, the National Coordinator -GNECS explained that the campaign theme “Eggstra-O nutrition for all” aims at educating the Ghanaian public on the nutritional and health value of egg consumption, as well as addressing the myth surrounding the consumption of eggs and also provide alternative ways of preparing egg dishes.

The campaign would run till the end of December 2022 and would include targeted training for stakeholders in the poultry value chain across the country. It would also execute public education-focused activities such as a roadshow dubbed, “The Eggnite Roadshow” and institutional visits in the Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Volta, Western, Upper East and Upper West regions. The goal is to increase awareness of eggs as a nutrient-dense protein source for everyone, which will in turn, translate into a a thriving Ghanaian poultry industry.

The Institutional education will offer egg health nutrition for selected schools, hospitals and religious bodies. The goal is to increase awareness of eggs as a nutrient-dense protein source for everyone, which will in turn, translate into a thriving Ghanaian poultry industry”, stated Acheampong.

She was positive that the new campaign, building on similar past ones, would educate many more Ghanaians on the health benefits of eggs for everyone especially children.

Eggs are nutritious whole meals for all ages and I urge parents to feed their children with a lot of egg meals”, she stressed.

Ndidi Fordjoe, Project Lead -The Little Cow, on her part added that “Eggs are a rich source of protein and vitamins. A large egg contains about 6 grams of protein. Eggs are also a good source of other nutrients, including vitamin D, which aids bone health and the immune system and choline which helps metabolism and liver function, as well as foetal brain development. Eating eggs also provide greater satiety (reduce hunger) during the day.”

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In 2017, Ghanaian egg producers, health advisers, government leaders, academic partners, and others joined the WISHH Programme to launch Ghana’s National Egg Campaign, to provide educational messages about eggs as an abundant source of protein, vitamins and more.

The 2020 egg consumption survey results showed per capita consumption of eggs rose from 172 in 2016 to 235 in 2020. Both the consumption survey and the campaign were key components of WISHH’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded AMPLIFIES (Assist in the Management of Poultry and Layer Industries with Feed Improvement and Efficiency Strategies) Ghana Project that began in 2015.

The launch event also brought together all relevant stakeholders including AgriHouse Foundation, Women in Agriculture (AWIA), and African Women in Animal Resource Farming and Agribusiness Network (AWARFA-N).

In a solidarity message, the Secretary of AWIA, Fortune Kyei, called on women to come together as a united force to pursue gender equality around the world, advocate for sector policies for women, market expansion and access to funding and capacity building.

We must come together to bring to bear the contributions women in agribusiness across the globe are making to promote climate change, economic growth, trade well and build resilient business.” She charged.

The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa Sarpong observed that, it is always a good time to celebrate the achievements of women, especially, the growth, successes and sustainable efforts of women working within the country’s agricultural spaces.

She said Ghanaian women continue to prove to be the backbone of the country with their resilience and incredible contributions in the fields of agriculture, academia, business, politics, education, medicine, among others.

Agrihouse prioritizes the cultural and socio-economic empowerment of our women in agriculture. Our interventional projects including the Agriwoman Marketplace, the Gathering of the Royals, WOFAGRIC and Gold in the Soil Awards; 1 Household, 1 Garden, are all geared towards providing marketing, exhibitions, networking, training and capacity building opportunities for women working in the agric space,” she noted.

Read also: Women in Poultry lobby for implementation of ECOWAS veterinary protocol on livestock

As part of activities to mark the day, Agrihouse held the 10^th edition of ‘Agriwoman Marketplace’ at the Obra Spot, alongside the launch of the 3^rd Anniversary of Women in Agriculture (AWIA), and launch of ‘Eggstra-O Campaign,’

The Director of the Department of Social Welfare was the Chairperson for the event, whereas Madam Louise Paris, Counsellor Development, Canadian High Commission, was the special guest of honour.

The president of the Apex body of the Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC), Dr. Victoria Norgbey, said the poultry sector is unfortunately beset with many challenges and thus, expressed the hope that this year’s International Women’s Day Celebrations would highlight these concerns, with concrete measures to support women poultry farmers in the country.

Agribusiness Network (AWARFA-N), said women in leadership positions, especially within the agricultural sector should be underestimated, and therefore expressed the hope that issues such as inequalities in the land tenure system, poor road networks to and from farmlands, lack of capital and high interest rates of banks, poor market and inadequate processing centres would be highlighted during the celebrations.