President Gnassingbé kicks off the development of a major poultry project in Avetonou, 100 km from Lomé
Friday, 29 March 2024 19:21 
(Togo First) - Togo President, Faure Gnassingbé, inaugurated an integrated poultry farming at Avétonou (Agou prefecture), about 100 km from Lomé. The facility spans 660 hectares.
The project is led by Porteo-Graine, a subsidiary of the Porteo Group. The facility will include a poultry area covering 162 ha. The remaining space will accommodate the Agricultural Research Technical Institute (ITRA), the Institute of Alternative Training and Development (IFAD-Avetonou), and the Eco-Village.
The core of the poultry project revolves around several operational units, including a poultry feed manufacturing plant with a production capacity of 450 tons per day, a hatchery unit capable of producing 1.2 million chicks per week, a slaughter unit processing up to 10,000 chickens per hour, and seven breeding farms intended to produce up to 50 million chickens per year (against 35 million heads produced across the country at present) in its initial phase. In the second phase, production should double, reaching 100 million chickens per year. Also, the project should create over a thousand new decent jobs.
Financial details relative to the project are yet to be known. So is the date on which it will be completed.
The Togolese government explained that the project aligns with its goals of achieving food self-sufficiency and becoming a key player in West Africa’s poultry industry. In line with these ambitions, the country intends to develop and operate 100,000 hectares in collaboration with various partners.
The Porteo Group, which steers the project, is well-known for developing various construction and road infrastructure projects in West Africa, notably in Côte d'Ivoire and recently in Benin and Togo. In the latter, the firm secured two years ago a contract to rebuild Lomé’s Grand Market. Through the new project, it now ventures into agriculture.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
