World Initiative for Soy in Human Health and the Ghana National Egg Campaign Secretariat (GNECS) has launched a new national egg promotion campaign dubbed ‘Eggstra-O’ with the theme 'Eggstra-O nutrition for all' to educate the Ghanaian public about the nutritive and functional benefits of eggs for persons of all age groups. 

The launch, which was planned to coincide with the 2022 International Women’s Day, saw leaders and members of the Ghana National Eggs Campaign Secretariat (GNECS) and the Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVAC), AgriHouse Foundation, Women in Agriculture (AWIA), and African Women in Animal Resource Farming and Agribusiness Network (AWARFA-N) come together.

Organisational representatives gathered in Accra on March 8, to launch the campaign and celebrate the contributions of women in agriculture towards development and food security.

Director of Operations at the Canadian High Commission in Ghana, Lousie Paris with oversight on the Gender and Women’s Economic Empowerment Program, delivered the keynote address at the event.

Speaking on the benefits of egg consumption, Naana Adjei, a registered dietitian, said that "eggs are a nutritious addition to a healthy diet for various age groups, and current evidence debunks a lot of the myths around eggs”.

She was positive that this new campaign, building on similar past ones, would educate many more Ghanaians on the health benefits for children, adults, and the elderly.

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), choline (which helps metabolism and liver function, and fetal brain development. 

Eating eggs also provide greater satiety (reduces hunger) during the day.

The Eggstra-O campaign will run till the end of December 2022 and will include targeted training for stakeholders in the poultry value chain across the country.

The campaign will 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.

Institutional education will offer egg health nutrition for select 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. 

In 2017, Ghanaian egg producers, health advisers, government leaders, academic partners, and others joined with the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program to launch Ghana’s National Egg Campaign, which included catchy “EggCite Ghana'' 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.