Kuipers, De Heus partner to empower queen mothers with poultry support

Traditional women leaders across the country are being positioned at the forefront of efforts to strengthen local poultry production following a targeted intervention by agribusiness firms and development partners.

At the eighth edition of the Gathering of the Royals, organised by the Agrihouse Foundation, more than 4,000 day-old chicks and 40 bags of poultry feed were distributed to queen mothers as part of a broader strategy to promote community-based farming and economic empowerment.

The support was provided through a partnership between Kuipers Breeders Ghana and De Heus Ghana during the event held at the Ghana National Association of Teachers Hall, which drew over 600 participants, including queen mothers, market queens, agribusiness actors and youth.

This year’s gathering, held under the theme “Seeds of Change: From Leadership to Legacy – Women Transforming the Agri-Food Systems,” focused on enhancing local production in key value chains such as poultry, tomatoes and cocoa, while addressing distribution challenges and expanding income opportunities in rural communities.

General Manager of Kuipers Breeders Ghana, Moses Aidoo, said empowering women, particularly traditional leaders, was critical to unlocking agricultural productivity at the community level.

“When we improve women’s participation and ownership in poultry farming, we help mobilise land, labour, and community resources,” he said, adding that such interventions could translate into broader economic gains across rural areas.

He further linked the initiative to national efforts such as the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, which seeks to revitalise Ghana’s poultry sector and reduce reliance on imports, stressing that grassroots leadership would be key to its success.

A representative of De Heus Ghana, Samirah Raji, presented the poultry feed to beneficiaries, underscoring the importance of sustained input support to ensure the survival and growth of the birds.

The organisers say the intervention forms part of a wider agenda to translate traditional leadership into sustainable livelihoods, with a target of creating at least 100 jobs across participating communities while positioning queen mothers as key drivers of agricultural transformation.