[bctt tweet=”I made up my mind to create employment for myself & grow it so that others will have jobs too” via=”no”]
To ace our hustles, we need to be alive and in good health otherwise, we won’t be able to make the impact we desire. This is why we need to eat good food, quality food that will not impede our health in any way.
This young woman, Adebimpe Oladunjoye Akinbuja is doing something about the quality of chicken available for consumption. She studied animal production and health at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology ( LAUTECH) and is putting this into her hustle. It’s no wonder that when she saw the challenges in the sector, Adebimpe decided to change the narrative in her own way.
How did you find yourself in the poultry business?
At first, it was simply because I saw the alarming rate of unemployment in the country. My senior colleagues were graduating but were not having something tangible to do for over a year. I made up my mind to create employment for myself and grow it so that people around me will have a job out of it too.
After creation, I discovered there was more to do. My landlord in school then operated a cold room. One day he told us about how we are gradually dying from the things we eat. He told us that the frozen foods we eat are being preserved using an embalming chemical, formalin. He spoke as if we didn’t have a choice but to keep consuming this ‘dead-body fluid’ (in pidgin accent) and continue to die gradually.
I took that information a little further and decided to produce chickens that will be safe and healthy for the consumption of humans.
That is amazing! What are the challenges in this business line?
I’ve had to face challenges from technical, to financial, to environmental, market, transportation and the major one has been power.
And I’m still facing some of them till date.
There is perception that the Poultry business is too risky, what is your opinion?
People say they hate poultry business because chickens die a lot. They believe it is a risky business. Yes, poultry business is highly risky and chickens die but every business has risks, what should be focused on is risk mitigation.
With a good business model, appropriate poultry house, good biosecurity practice, a learning mind and God’s blessings you will be a successful poultry farmer.
[bctt tweet=”The poultry business is highly risky but every business has risks, rather focus on risk mitigation” via=”no”]
What other opportunities abound asides rearing the chickens?
Poultry business is filled with lots of opportunities. We have egg production, meat production, live chicken production, transportation, poultry housing and equipment, processing and marketing, training and consultancy.
Do you think the Nigerian system is favourable to this line of business?
I would say no because in Nigeria, we still struggle with the problem of power and this is eating into the profit of farmers. We also have issues of hatcheries not been transparent enough.
And importation of frozen chickens still affects the sales of fresh chicken in Nigeria.
[bctt tweet=”In Nigeria, we still struggle with power cuts and this is eating into the profit of farmers” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
What is your advice to young women interested in building a poultry business?
Learn.
Find yourself a coach and a mentor and let them show you the way. Ask questions and network with other poultry “agripreneurs”.
If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.