In Togo, 52 young poultry sector promoters have just enhanced their technical skills to better manage their farms and ensure the success of their projects. The training took place from 2 to 6 June 2025 at the Institut de Formation Agricole (INFA) in Tové, with the support to the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) in partnership with the Centre Régional d'Excellence sur les Sciences Aviaires (CERSA).
Faced with a growing demand for eggs, meat and chicks, poultry farming is emerging as a profitable activity, accessible to young people in both rural and urban areas. But to succeed, farmers must overcome a number of technical and financial difficulties.
This training course was set up to meet these challenges. Over the course of five days, participants were trained in key areas: poultry feed, husbandry, animal health and the formulation of balanced rations.
"I've been rearing broilers for six years, and this course opened my eyes to a lot of aspects I didn't know about. There were about fifty of us, and each of us had our own method, but here we learnt about good practice", confides Kaina Ayéki, a participant from the maritime region.
The poultry feed manufacturers, known as provendiers, also benefited from technical support. They learned about the feed manufacturing process, quality standards and the biosafety measures needed to avoid contamination.
"I thought I had a good grasp of feed production, but I learned a lot. Visiting the INFA's feed mill made me realise the shortcomings of my old practices, especially in terms of biosafety", explains KOYI Pascale, a feed miller.
Led by CERSA experts under the supervision of Professor Kokou TONA, the centre's director, the strengthened CERSA's position as a key player in the development of the poultry industry in West Africa.
This reinforcement is part of sub-component 3.2 of the FSRP, dedicated to the development of strategic value chains. It benefited 52 young poultry farmers, including 14 women: 31 local poultry farmers, 17 modern poultry farmers and 4 feed producers.
