Agrihouse Foundation, a non-governmental organisation with a focus on women in Agriculture, has held the third edition of the Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries(LiPF) exhibition tradeshow in Accra.

The show was in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (UNDA)- Ghana Poultry Production (GPP).

The two-day training sessions and exhibition were supported by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), National Farmers and Award Winners Association of Ghana(NFFAWAG) and National Board of Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) on the theme: " WE MOVE! W)nya".

Madam Alberta Nana Akyea Akosa, Executive Director Agrihouse Foundation, said the Foundation, through the LiPF tradeshows, had established a vibrant platform for livestock, poultry and fisheries farmers, groups, individuals and agribusinesses to share experiences, promote products and services.

The farmers also deliberated and addressed common concerns while taking advantage of several practical capacity building training sessions.

She said before the formation of the Foundation in 2019, the Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries sector had little or no representation at the various levels of decision making.

Madam Akosa said the tradeshow was to close the gap that existed between the livestock and crop sectors in the agricultural industry.

She said the third edition of LiPF event had 36 different agribusinesses registered to exhibit their products and services and about 211 registered for the training sessions on cattle production (Beef and Dairy), poultry farming, rabbit and grasscutter farming, pig farming, fish farming, and snail farming among others.

"LiPF has come at an opportune time to inform and educate participants about alternative means to create jobs and make additional income, especially, in the animal agricultural sector, since many people in the country now have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

Madam Akosa added that the LifP was a relevant intervention and it was now more relevant as it sought to build resilience and confidence in individuals who had lost their sources of income and were looking for alternate means.

"It is also here to encourage people who are passionate and interested in the animal agricultural sector, to let them see the multiple opportunities they can take advantage of," she said.

Mr Robert Ankobiah, Ag. Chief Director, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), said the government through MOFA was revamping the animal sector and agriculture in general.

He said the roll-out of the Rearing for Food and Jobs campaign launched in 2019 by the President was to attain self-sufficiency through massive investment in the form of distribution to improve breeds of livestock to farmers and provision of modern equipment and logistics to relevant institution of MOFA.

Mr Ankobiah said the sector offered enormous opportunities for entrepreneurship, particularly for the youth to promote industrialization and improved quality of life and livelihood.

"Am confident from what I have seen that the outcome of this programme will be very useful for planning and decision making for the animal sector going forward," he added.

The Acting Chief Director urged the youth to participate fully in the agriculture sector for varied opportunities.