Building a Brighter Future: Hatchery Construction Boosts APMI Programs in Sierra Leone and The Gambia
By: Jan de Jonge and Joe Antonyo
One of the most powerful aspects of the African Poultry Multiplication Initiative (APMI) is its ability to adapt to the unique needs of each country while maintaining its overall value-chain and structure. The implementation of the APMI program in Sierra Leone and The Gambia has been notably different due to the absence of operational hatcheries in these countries. Hatcheries play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the APMI program and the profitability of the value-chain actors. When we first began the APMI programs Sierra Leone and The Gambia, we recognized that establishing hatcheries would be essential for the program’s success.
Why is a hatchery so important to the APMI Program?
Previously, neither Sierra Leone nor The Gambia had functional hatcheries, which necessitated relying on day-old chick imports from other countries—a solution that proved unreliable and unsustainable due limited flight connectivity. Although our partners imported some live day-old chicks (DOCs) to seed the market and train staff, they never intended this as a long-term solution. Here’s why building hatcheries was crucial:
Building a hatchery is a complex process that demands meticulous planning and execution. Here’s a detailed overview of the steps involved in the construction projects in Sierra Leone and The Gambia:
1. Planning and Design:
This phase involved:
WPF collaborated closely with external engineers and our private-sector partners to ensure proper design and secure necessary approvals in-country.
We also provided opportunities for our partners to learn from existing hatcheries. Our partners visited Nigeria to gain insights into the complexities of establishing and operating a hatchery. This trip proved crucial and led to specific changes in the planning phase for the hatcheries. For instance, in Sierra Leone, Leecon initially planned to build their hatchery near Freetown, the capital. However, after visiting Nigeria, they realized that the conditions in Makeni District were better suited for the project. Consequently, they purchased land in Makeni District. Now that the hatchery is operational, Leecon’s leadership acknowledges that the trip to Nigeria and the subsequent change in the hatchery’s location have been vital to their success.
2. Site Preparation and Construction:
This phase involved:
Once we finalized the plans, we focused on the physical construction of the hatcheries. Due to inconsistent power supply in many of the APMI countries we operate in, we develop backup power plans, such as purchasing generators, to ensure a reliable 24/7 electricity supply to the hatcheries. Other key considerations during this process include ensuring reliable waterlines, drainage systems, tiling, ceiling installation, and compressed air pipes. These elements were crucial to designing hatcheries that meet the unique needs and conditions of each country.
During this stage, our partners constructed parent stock houses, adhering to good poultry standards. Even before the hatcheries were completed, the first parent stock was placed on the ground to ensure they would start producing fertile eggs as soon as the hatcheries became operational.
3. Equipment Installation and Setup:
This phase involved;
The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) funded the hatchery equipment, which we sourced from leading industry suppliers. The World Poultry Foundation (WPF) provided essential technical expertise for equipment purchasing, importation, installation, and training on the new machinery.
Additionally, we needed to develop and import unique vaccine schedules for the parent stock and day-old chicks (DOCs). WPF closely collaborated with our private-sector partners to advise on vaccine procurement, evaluating each option based on price, availability, and support to choose the best solution. Maintaining the cold chain for vaccines is critical, and ensuring quality standards required a vaccine fridge and backup generator for proper storage in the hatchery.
4. Staff Training and Hiring:
Finding experienced hatchery staff locally was challenging since neither country had operational hatcheries, and this work is technical. WPF supported its partners with recruiting experienced hatchery managers from abroad and then providing ongoing training workshops to equip local employees for future independent hatchery management. We also worked to design a data collection application that works within on our existing data systems so allow the WPF team to see and view data from each hatchery to help with management even from afar. We will share more about this tool in our next blog in this series.
5. Testing and Commissioning:
Before operations began, we conducted and repeated equipment and system testing with hatchery managers to ensure everything functioned perfectly. We then put trial runs in place to simulate hatchery operations and identify any flaws or challenges.
After overcoming the challenges of construction and local developers working through technical drawings, the new hatcheries will significantly impact Sierra Leone and The Gambia’s poultry industries.
Building a Local Sustainable Future
As always, funding for this work is a collaborative effort, with significant co-investment from our private-sector partners forming the cornerstone of our efforts. Our partners covered the costs of building materials and manual labor. With financial support from the QFFD, the WPF provided technical guidance, construction recommendations, and compliance inspections for regulatory bodies throughout the construction process. Additionally, QFFD’s funding was crucial in purchasing essential equipment for the hatcheries, including incubators, generators, and vaccine equipment.
The hatcheries are not only buildings; they represent a commitment to a more secure and sustainable agricultural future for Sierra Leone and The Gambia. With access to reliable, high-quality chicks, farmers will be empowered to improve their livelihoods and contribute to the overall growth of the poultry sector in both countries. WPF is committed to seeing this journey through.
The APMI Program is being implemented in The Gambia and Sierra Leone with generous funding from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
CATEGORY
LOCATION