Improving the production and productivity of the poultry sector towards creating more and decent jobs in Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA (ILO News) – The poultry sector has a huge potential to create more and better jobs for female workers and eventually reduce poverty for these individuals and their families in Ethiopia. However, according to the findings of a market assessment report conducted by the ILO, the sector is affected by high input costs, lack of opportunities for young women and men to graduate from household to commercial poultry farming. Moreover, the sector is challenged by the limited availability of the Day Old Chickens (DOCs), shortage of feed input supply, poor animal health services, poor orientation and unavailability of extension services and business development services; poor access to finance and poor sector coordination and limited sector regulations and policies.
In response to the assessment findings, the ILO through its ProAgro Ethiopia project (1) undertook business investment case development in the poultry sector that aimed at establishing a parent stock management centre that produces and distributes commercial DOCs and setting up a feed processing plant that supplies both its centre and poultry farmers. The assessment conducted interviews focusing on assessing the skill needs, gaps, and training required to grow the poultry sector and increase employment opportunities for the youth and women. (2) Conducted an assessment to develop an On the Job Training (OJT) module to address the challenge of the skills mismatch issue in the poultry sector and to enhance specifically women’s employability skills in the poultry sector. A better understanding of the skills constraints and opportunities provided the basis for developing the appropriate on the job training framework and manual to amplify the practical knowledge base to increase productivity, grow the sector, and improve employment options throughout the value chain.
The ILO created the platform that brought together stakeholders in the poultry sector in Ethiopia to validate the Business Investment Case Study and the On the Job Training Module developed by the ILO to improve the production and productivity of the poultry sector in the country. A total of 34 stakeholders including experts representing the Ministry of Industry (MoI), Ministry of Labour and Skills (MoLS), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Confederation of Ethiopian Employers Federation (CEEF), Confederation of Ethiopian Workers Trade Union (CETU), Industry representatives on poultry, private poultry companies/farms, sectoral associations and other relevant stakeholders attended the validation workshop.
Both documents were shared with participants in advance while findings of the business investment case study on poultry and the draft OJT module were presented and discussed during the half-day validation workshop. The ILO will incorporate the valuable inputs from participants and share the documents online once finalized. The ProAgro project aims to support the Government of Ethiopia by contributing to the creation of more and decent jobs in the agribusiness sector with financial support from BMZ, Germany.
In response to the assessment findings, the ILO through its ProAgro Ethiopia project (1) undertook business investment case development in the poultry sector that aimed at establishing a parent stock management centre that produces and distributes commercial DOCs and setting up a feed processing plant that supplies both its centre and poultry farmers. The assessment conducted interviews focusing on assessing the skill needs, gaps, and training required to grow the poultry sector and increase employment opportunities for the youth and women. (2) Conducted an assessment to develop an On the Job Training (OJT) module to address the challenge of the skills mismatch issue in the poultry sector and to enhance specifically women’s employability skills in the poultry sector. A better understanding of the skills constraints and opportunities provided the basis for developing the appropriate on the job training framework and manual to amplify the practical knowledge base to increase productivity, grow the sector, and improve employment options throughout the value chain.
 | "The Ethiopian Poultry Producers and Processors Association will collaborate with the ILO and other partners in realizing the implementation of proposed on the job training module once finalized.” Birhanu Million, Manager, The Ethiopian Poultry Producers and Processors Association (EPPPA) |
The ILO created the platform that brought together stakeholders in the poultry sector in Ethiopia to validate the Business Investment Case Study and the On the Job Training Module developed by the ILO to improve the production and productivity of the poultry sector in the country. A total of 34 stakeholders including experts representing the Ministry of Industry (MoI), Ministry of Labour and Skills (MoLS), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Confederation of Ethiopian Employers Federation (CEEF), Confederation of Ethiopian Workers Trade Union (CETU), Industry representatives on poultry, private poultry companies/farms, sectoral associations and other relevant stakeholders attended the validation workshop.
"In order to address the skills gap in the livestock health and production, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Veterinary Association (EVA) has developed a framework for a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. Currently, some modules are under development. Therefore, it will be a good opportunity to collaborate with the ILO and finalize the on job training module to improve the production and productivity of the poultry sub sector in the country.”
Dr. Yohannes Girma, Advisor, Livestock and Fishery Resource Development Sector, MoA
Both documents were shared with participants in advance while findings of the business investment case study on poultry and the draft OJT module were presented and discussed during the half-day validation workshop. The ILO will incorporate the valuable inputs from participants and share the documents online once finalized. The ProAgro project aims to support the Government of Ethiopia by contributing to the creation of more and decent jobs in the agribusiness sector with financial support from BMZ, Germany.