Ghanaian women in the poultry value chain have been advised to complement each other’s efforts to make the industry more vibrant and profitable.

“Women should see each other's role as equally important and work together to create a formidable network that would ensure sustainable growth in the sector.”

Carianne De Boer, Chief of Party of the Ghana Poultry Project (GPP), who gave the advice said every actor in the poultry value chain is unique and dependent on the other.

She was speaking at a forum organized by the GPP to celebrate women in poultry and its[ poultry] value chain on the International Women's Day in Kumasi.

The theme chosen for the event was "Profitable and Competitive Poultry Business - the Role of Women in the Poultry Value Chain.

The GPP is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiative, which has since 2015 been implementing various interventions in the poultry industry.

It seeks to among other things, increase the competitiveness of the production and processing of poultry meat and eggs in Ghana.

De Boer said women play significant roles in the value chain and must be given the needed support to thrive in their businesses.

She said the involvement of women in the sector had improved significantly over the years and challenged them to stand for each other to grow their businesses.

Licaya Diaz, Chief of Party for Amplifiers Ghana, a subsidiary project of the GPP, which focuses on the feed value chain, said there were a lot of women engaged in various activities in the chain who were not being recognized.

From growing of crops to harvesting of maize and soya beans, women continue to play key roles till the feed gets to the poultry farmer, who is the end user.

She said Amplifiers Ghana, therefore, as part of its mandate, promotes gender balance in the value chain, to help empower more women to participate in the industry.

It also supports farm-based organisations and crop farmers to mitigate post-harvest losses and improve their profits.