Ghana’s bid to reduce poultry imports by 10–15% appears to be at risk after some beneficiaries of the government’s flagship Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme consumed the birds they received instead of rearing them for commercial production.

This was disclosed by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, when he appeared before Parliament’s Assurances Committee on Thursday, July 9.

He explained that although the programme had recorded some successes, it had also faced setbacks, including some beneficiaries failing to use the birds for their intended purpose, rearing, selling, and reinvesting the proceeds to expand poultry production in Ghana.

“Some also decided to kill and eat all. In fact, they were even sending me videos that ‘we are eating’ everything. But this is not for immediate consumption; we just wanted them to rear them and sell and reinvest,” he told the committee.

The Minister explained that one of the key challenges facing the programme had been access to markets for mature birds, particularly in the Eastern Region, where some beneficiaries informed the Ministry that they were struggling to sell their poultry.

“Now, the difficulty we have with some of the regions, especially in the Eastern Region, is that some of the farmers who benefited called me and said, ‘Our birds are ready; we are not getting the market,’” he said.

To address this challenge, the Minister said the government had engaged some poultry processors, some of whom had moved vehicles from Accra to various regions to purchase the birds.

“So we spoke to some of the processors. Some of them had to move cars from Accra to some of the regions to go and buy the birds,” he said.

The Minister acknowledged that although the Ministry did not encourage beneficiaries to consume the birds, the practice could still have a positive impact by promoting the consumption of locally produced poultry.

“Even though we don’t encourage that, because we wanted them to capitalise on this to earn something for their livelihoods, if that is what they have decided to do, at the national level, in aggregate, it also helps,” he said.

“If they can build a good taste for locally produced poultry, that is a big plus for us,” he added.

His remarks highlighted the government’s broader efforts under the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative to increase local poultry production, promote the consumption of locally produced chicken, and reduce Ghana’s dependence on poultry imports.

About Nkoko Nkitinkiti

The Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative was launched on Wednesday, November 12, in Kumasi. The programme, also known as the “backyard poultry programme” by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, is expected to empower about 60,000 households across all 276 constituencies nationwide to produce three million birds.

According to the Minister, the programme targets single mothers, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in communities.

Speaking during a media briefing ahead of the launch, Mr Opoku clarified that the initiative was not designed for commercial poultry farmers but specifically for households.

“The government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti policy, which is to be launched, does not cover commercial poultry farmers. The policy is purposely for households. While the government is starting with the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, the public must understand that it is just one aspect of the government’s poultry production plans. We have another programme under which we are targeting existing poultry farmers,” he said.

However, he noted that the government had other policy interventions planned to support large-scale and medium-scale poultry farmers.

The initiative forms part of the broader Feed Ghana strategy and includes training, access to feed, and improved breeding stock. Originally scheduled for July, the programme was delayed to October to allow for further stakeholder engagement.

By reducing the estimated $300 million spent annually on poultry imports, the initiative seeks to revitalise agriculture, empower households, and strengthen Ghana’s self-sufficiency in protein production.

The Minister said technical staff from the Ministry had been engaging stakeholders in the poultry industry to gather data and determine how best the programme could be rolled out.

He noted that information gathered from field officers would guide the selection of beneficiaries.

“What we are doing now is dealing with backyard poultry farming. That has nothing to do with the commercial farmers. In fact, the technical people are already in the field. We are selecting the beneficiaries based on their capacities in their various places.

“So, in Bono Ahafo, for instance, the people have submitted their reports. They have gone to their places of work and have identified those people we can work with. Now, we have to engage with them based on the information that we have before we roll out that one,” the Minister said.

Mr Opoku added that other programmes were being developed specifically for large-scale and medium-scale commercial farmers, stressing the need to increase poultry production to reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported poultry and poultry products.

He further noted that an existing programme launched the previous year had provided some poultry farmers with logistics and financial support, with the understanding that they would repay after harvest.