Obasanjo Farms open in Liberia, to generate 30,000 jobs

by Chi Ibe

Photo: olufamous

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is making the people of Liberia smile with his new farm which is estimated to create about 30,000 job opportunities for the citizens.

On Sunday, Liberia’s Minister of Agriculture, Florence Chenoweth, said that Obasanjo Farms in Liberia would help in addressing one the significant aspects of the government’s efforts to ensure food security.

She reportedly highlighted that more than 40 per cent of Liberian children had stunted growth, stressing the need to solve the problem by fast-tracking the production of eggs and poultry in Liberia.

“We need to produce proteins either in beans or meat, which the cattle, goat and piggery produce, in Liberia, so as to ensure balance diets for our people’s nutrition,” she said.

According to reports, Chenoweth who was speaking during the dedication ceremony of Obasanjo Farms Liberia Incorporated at Gbah Foboi, Grand Cape Mount County, in Liberia noted that the Liberian government had focused its attention on the agriculture sector in its efforts to create jobs for the people.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf also described President Obasanjo as a visionary leader who was quick to respond to the needs of the people in critical areas. Reports say she commended Obasanjo for his constant support for Liberia and for having faith in the future of the country.

[READ: Why I visited Obasanjo – Jonathan ]

On behalf of Obasanjo farms, Group Managing Director of Obasanjo Holdings Limited, Daniel Atsu, said that the farm was set up in hope of the averting effects of global warming and climate change on poultry production in tropical Africa.

The farm has six standard poultry houses, two of them for breeding young chicks, and the rest four were equipped with three-tier automated layer cages and already the first and second batches of about 10,000 layers had started laying eggs.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Atsu confirmed the layer houses would soon be increased to 16, a capacity which would produce about 15,000 farm fresh eggs daily which would provide unlimited opportunities to farmers to grow corn, soybeans or supply dried or smoked fish in large quantities.