IEF expands its work in southern Africa

The International Egg Foundation (IEF) is to expand its work in southern Africa, partnering with the US-based Center Fresh Group on an education project in Mozambique.

Center Fresh Africa-Mozambique has established three businesses in the country in recent years following a visit by company founding family Bruce Dooyema and his wife Kim in 2006.

Mr Dooyema said 43% of the population of Mozambique lived on less than $2/day and although agriculture was the dominant industry, average egg consumption was just 30 eggs/day.

One of the main aims is to use their knowledge of egg production to bring 21^st century farming practices to the African country. The businesses are New Horizons; which has a hatchery, broiler production and processing unit for 75,000 birds, feed mill and grain facility; Eggs for Africa, which has a 50,000 laying hen unit, and Mozambique Fresh Eggs, which also a 50,000 layer capacity and a similar sized pullet operation, as well as a well drilling company and a brick production business.

Mr Dooyema said profits go into local schools and churches, including the Rapale International School, which has 185 children from 27 different nationalities and the Ebenezer Training Centre, which teaches 17-24 year olds to run their own businesses for two years in poultry, horticulture and agriculture.

The IEF is to partner with the training centre and help provide knowledge transfer and other support.

Steve Manton, IEF chair, provided an update on Project Canaan, which is providing 4,500 hard-boiled eggs every day and supporting more than 160 orphaned children in Swaziland.

Mr Manton said the IEF was working with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences and the computer department at Aberystwyth University to develop an app to assist farmers at point of need.

“It needs to be flexible, transferable and work across many platforms,” he said.