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."
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."
Dr. Rejoice Foli, a women empower advocate and 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 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.
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.
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