Farmers trained on effective management skills for poultry business

Members of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) have been trained by the AFOS Foundation in collaboration with National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) on effective management of poultry farms in order to improve the subsector.

At the second edition of the AFOS and Microfinance Agricultural Learning and Development Centre Stakeholders Meeting and Dinner held in Lagos, the President of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Chief Sunday Ezeobiora said AFOS is trying to train skilled workers that will work in poultry industry.

He said this move very commendable because one of the things they lack in the poultry industry is skilled worker. Ezeobiora said “If we have enough skilled workers, poultry industry in Nigeria can compete with every other industry all over the world as far as poultry is concerned.

“We have to train people that will go into the farms and perform, so maybe in the next one year, we will see a lot of changes by the time we have enough people trained that will participate in different farms in different locations, but the changes will not be immediate.

Dr Ibrahim Bello Bashir, Special assistant to the Executive Secretary NBTE said as far as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is concerned in Nigeria; the role of NBTE is to look at the existing structure with a view of improving it.

He said before now the curriculum of most of the programs in NBTE is not actually addressing the needs of the present day, so NBTE in its own wisdom has reviewed most of the curriculum.

“AFOS has done very well, what they are doing is actually complementing or they were just doing what NBTE is supposed to be doing, they are helping us especially in capacity building, they have rolled out so many areas along the poultry production, that is very excellent”, he noted.

The CEO and Country Representative of AFOS, Ladi Akoni said they are interested in the training because they have seen the potentials for growth in the poultry sector and they have also seen the gap in capacity building in the sector.

“So we believe that though vocational training offers a pathway for efficiency in this sector, low cadre workers can become skilled, and these are the people that will typically will be handling the birds in the sector, so we believe that in up-scaling them helps them improve workmanship.

“Also, some of the macroeconomic challenges that are typically resulting in people living the country is lingering and workers are leaving the industry, so we provide a sustainable pathway for continued production for our partners”, he noted.

Akoni said over all, they want to see that the different actors in the agricultural value chain are working together to form a very strong value chain.

“Whether it is smallholder farmers, financiers or the big industry, they should all work together and to strengthen the value chain and hopefully make profit at each stage of the value chain and at the end of the day, they produce greater volume of quality goods to feed the country and sustainable economy growth for the country”, he added.