Ghana is likely to stop the importation of poultry products by 2013. Government earlier gave an indication that it will do everything to ensure that Ghana will no longer be a dumping ground for poultry products. Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, a Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture is reported to have said that local farmers will be empowered, and provided with cheaper feeds to enable them to step up their production and secondly to implement both tariffs and non-tariffs means to make their products competitive in the domestic market. The measures have started making impacts, as the National Youth Authority has entered into partnership with TYCRISS LIVESTOCK FARMS a major player in the local poultry industry, to train ten thousand (10,000) youth in Free Range Broiler Project. An official from the Animal Production Department of Ministry of Food and Agriculture Godwin Agbenyegah told Asempa News that the intensive training which took off in November 2011, saw many youth and pensioners enroll to undergo a one week intensive training in broiler production, which costs GHS 62.00, including accommodation. The free range broiler production was recently adopted with the traditional way of keeping poultry, as an assured way in commercial basis of meeting the deficit in Ghana’s meat requirement, since all ingredients needed for its sustainability are common in the Ghanaian communities. Over a hundred of such beneficiaries drawn from all over the country graduated at the Youth Leadership Training Institute at Afienya in the Greater Accra Region on Monday. A speech read on behalf of Tycriss Livestock Farms, Miss Kristin Nimoh said the "partnership has allowed us to not only provide the youth with the opportunity to train individuals in the poultry farming industry but also provide opportunities for leadership, employment and more for the youth of Ghana." She announced their intention to provide more forms of training in other areas like marketing, communications and networking. Chief Executive Officer for the National Youth Authority, Sedinam Tamakloe-Ationu said the partnership was the result of NYA’s nationwide tour to disseminate its policy, as well as interface with the youth on their specific empowerment needs. Mrs. Ationu disclosed that the NYA is refocusing its mandate and service delivery, and has chosen to shore up impetus for employment generation, emphasizing transformation of the agricultural sector as an area of stagnation among the youth to promote growth. She noted that her outfit and Tycriss Farms are poised to liaise with key agri-business partners to veer into value-chain investments. Volta Regional Minister Joseph Amenowode who chaired the ceremony, urged youth-led and youth-focused organizations to register with the NYA to enable them to be captured into the NYA’s Database Project so that they could access youth investment programmes.