On Tuesday, 4th August 2020, we had the privilege of hosting the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at our facility in Apasare-Adawso E/R.
Since our inception on the 26th of July, 2018, this is the first time a sitting president has visited our farm and the occasion was therefore marked with pomp and pageantry.
The President was accompanied by a delegation made of bigwigs in his government including Hon. Allan Kyeremateng(Minister for Trade and Industry), Hon. Atta Akyea (Minister for Roads, Works and Housing), Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (Minister for Information) and the Managing Directors of government agencies including Ghana EXIM Bank and ADB Bank.
In a speech, our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Madam Salomey Gyamfi, noted that having the president on the farm was one that was of utmost importance to Akro-Farms and the day will go down the annals of the farm as a historic one. She mentioned that, the farm currently has Ghana and West Africa’s biggest automated poultry farm raising 80,000 birds on the farm and producing an average of 2,400 crates a day and 72,000 crates of eggs per month.
She also mentioned that “our impact goes beyond the Akuapem Ridge and has been felt from Apasare-Adawso to Tumu and all corners of Ghana.
In terms of jobs created, our layer farm has created 459 direct and indirect jobs, established an outgrower scheme that works with 4,398 maize farmers, 200 suppliers and 150 distributors.”
Together with the Farm Manager, Mr Damian Innocent, the President was given a tour of the farm and made to see our Royal Birds in all their glory. Also, the President was made aware of our plan to establish a 1.5 million birds capacity broiler farm complete with a breeder farm that will produce 200,000 eggs a week and hatch 13.1 million day old chicks a year. The farm will also have a processing unit which will process 7.5 million birds per year in collaboration with an average of 250 small scale poultry farmers who will be out-growers.
The President was very impressed with work done so far at the farm. He noted that we needed more of such farms in the country to set the pace in the farming sector. He was also delighted to see a woman as the CEO of such an enterprise being aware of the underrepresentation of women in mechanised Agriculture.
The Board Members of Akro-Farms, represented by Ntow-Kissiedu, donated a gift of Royal Eggs from Akro-Farms and a brochure on Akro-Farms to the President to serve as a memento of his visit to Akro-Farms.
From all of us here at Akro-Farms, we are grateful to the Presidency for the time spent with us. We look forward to more of such moments.