Forbes features the Open Wing Alliance’s cage-free work in Africa

As part of its series on cage-free transitions around the world, Forbes featured the Open Wing Alliance (OWA) for its impressive cage-free progress in Africa. (Earlier articles in the series also featured the OWA’s critical work in Asia and the US.)

Journalist Christine Ro interviewed OWA Africa Lead Aurelia Adhiambo and Jean Claude Masengesho, a veterinarian who leads OWA member group Rwandan Animal Welfare Organization (RAWO).

The article touched on unique challenges to going cage-free in the region. This included increased egg consumption and production supported by bureaucratic promotion, rising egg prices in Kenya tied to the cost of chicken feed sold on uncompetitive markets, and the loss of U.S. funding to support economic development and reduce malnutrition in Rwandan poultry farming.

But animal advocates remain undaunted. In response to agriculture companies marketing cages for egg-laying hens as the best way forward for farmers, RAWO offers farmer workshops, providing information about how cage-free facilities not only greatly ease the suffering of hens—they are also better for human health, and cost-friendly.

Groups around the region have made progress for animals in the hospitality industry, and are planning to work more with legislators to develop cage-free standards. Consumer outreach is vital to their cage-free momentum, so advocates are working to advance labeling and sourcing certification standards: “Consumers have a big impact” in encouraging more humane farming, Masengesho says. “It’s a long journey, I’m telling you…You have to go slow.”

The piece concluded on a hopeful note about the region’s impact on the global cage-free movement: “Africa is really taking up space and growing,” Adhiambo believes. “We are really a continent to watch out for.”

To learn more, check out the article here.