Last week, the ASA’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health program welcomed WISHH committee members and United Soybean Board directors to Ghana to observe the impact of U.S. soy investments in the country’s poultry, aquaculture, and food industries. The delegation’s visit highlighted the progress made to bridge the development of these industries with demand for U.S. soy.
The group made a stop at Flosell Farms, a longtime WISHH partner in Ghana’s aquaculture sector. While there, WISHH and Flosell formally recognized the signing of memorandums of understanding between WISHH, Flosell Farms, and the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana. These agreements aim to drive the growth of aquaculture in Ghana by enhancing workforce development efforts, particularly with Flosell Farms’ Training Program for Young Practitioners (TPYP), an internship program supported by USB through WISHH. TPYP equips young professionals with the skills necessary to meet the growing demands of Ghana’s aquaculture industry and provides real-world, on-farm experience to participants. The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana will collaborate with Flosell to support trained interns with job placement, strengthening the sector and paving the way for increased trade opportunities for U.S. soy.
The delegation also visited Ghanaian poultry farms, including its second-largest layer farm, Akate and the fastest-growing farm, FMB Farms. The poultry industry continues to grow in Ghana, which provides a stronger opportunity for the inclusion of U.S. soy for feed. FMB, for example, has increased growing capacity by nearly 2500% in the past five years. The farm, a longstanding partner of WISHH, explained to WISHH farmer-leaders his intent to import and distribute US soy.
WISHH Executive Director Gena Perry accompanied farmer leaders on the trip. “These meetings continue to identify opportunities within WISHH’s exporter education project and further develops connections between WISHH partners and U.S. soy exporters,” she explained.