President John Dramani Mahama has announced that his government will soon establish poultry and livestock farms across some senior high schools in Ghana.

This, he announced at the 65th anniversary celebration of Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO), the alma mater of both President Mahama and his wife.

According to him, the initiative is intended to help schools produce their own meat instead of relying on market purchases.

“We are coming up with a policy, a policy where secondary schools will have a poultry farm and a livestock farm, so Ghanasco will be one of the schools selected.”

“We will establish a poultry farm here and a livestock farm so that you don’t have to go to the market to buy your meat. You take your meat from your own farm. And again, the headmaster will have no excuse when you go to the dining hall and there’s no meat in your food,” President Mahama said.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama, on Wednesday, November 12, unveiled the government’s flagship poultry revitalisation programme, the Nkoko Nkitinkiti, in Kumasi.

The programme, which is not just a job-creation intervention but a deliberate policy to curb the heavy importation of frozen chicken, will involve distributing three million poultry birds.

It is designed to bring poultry production directly to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian, in homes, in schools and communities across the country. Beneficiaries will receive birds, feed, and other supplies to start their poultry businesses, transforming subsistence into self-sustaining livelihoods.

Under phase one of the programme, each beneficiary will receive 50 chicks, feed support and technical guidance to ensure the survival and sustainability of the project.

President Mahama said the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, another campaign promise fulfilled, is a key component of the broader Feed Ghana Programme, designed to guarantee food sovereignty and shared prosperity.

“It is with pride and a deep sense of national duty that I stand before you in this historic city of Kumasi, the birthplace of enterprise and innovation, to launch a programme that addresses the core of our national food security and inclusive growth agenda, the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Household and Backyard Poultry Production Initiative,” he said.

The initiative is a national movement, a courageous step towards restoring food self-sufficiency, strengthening household resilience and fostering sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of Ghanaians, especially women, youth and vulnerable families, the President added.

Mr Mahama reiterated that, for too long, Ghana’s poultry industry, which was once an active contributor to rural incomes and national nutrition, has faced structural bottlenecks such as high feed costs, limited access to improved breeds, inadequate processing capacity, and over-reliance on imports.

“In 2023 alone, Ghana spent over $350 million importing poultry products, a drain on our foreign exchange and a missed opportunity for the nation’s farmers and entrepreneurs. We must and we will reverse this trend.”

He said the time for Ghana to reclaim the pride of producing, processing and consuming what Ghanaians themselves grow is long overdue.

Under the Feed Ghana programme, the government will execute a three-pronged strategy to restore the poultry value chain from the household level to the commercial scale.

These are the Poultry Farm to Table project, Anchor Farmers, and the Agro-Growers Support Scheme, which shall have 50 carefully selected Anchor poultry farmers.

Each will receive 80,000 chicks, along with housing and logistics, to produce 4 million birds. This will boost local demand and establish a direct market between producers and processors.

Ahead of the launch, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, who has labelled the initiative as ‘backyard poultry programme’ explained that it will empower about 60,000 households in all the 276 constituencies nationwide to produce 3 million birds.

According to him, the programme is targeted at single mothers, Persons with disabilities and other vulnerable people in the community during an address on October 16.

Speaking during a media briefing ahead of the launch tomorrow, Mr Opoku clarified that “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 program under which we are targeting existing poultry farmers.”

However, he noted that the government has other policy directives that will be rolled out to support large-scale and medium-scale poultry farmers.

The policy is part of the broader Feed Ghana strategy and includes training, access to feed, and improved breeding stock. Originally set for July, it was delayed to October for stakeholder engagement. By reducing the $300 million spent annually on poultry imports, the initiative seeks to revitalise agriculture, empower youth, and strengthen Ghana’s self-sufficiency in protein production.

The Minister for Food and Agriculture stated that technical staff from the ministry are engaging stakeholders in the poultry industry to gather data and information on how best the policy can be rolled out, noting that the information received from the field officers will guide them as to who gets to be selected to benefit from the policy rollout.

“What we are doing now is dealing with backyard poultry farming. That has nothing to do with the commercial farmers. It 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.

Hon. Opoku then noted that there are other plans underway that are purposely for large-scale and medium-scale commercial farmers, emphasising the need for an overall increment in poultry production in the country to reduce imports and over-reliance on imported poultry and poultry produce.

The minister noted that there is an existing program from last year where some poultry farmers were provided with the logistics and financial support, with the understanding that they would pay back after harvest.

In May this year, The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture has inaugurated the Governing Council of the Fisheries Commission with a firm mandate to scale up the fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in Ghana’s waters.

This development comes at a critical time when Ghana is facing increased international scrutiny over its fisheries management practices. The European Commission has issued a “yellow card” warning to Ghana, signaling the country’s potential classification as non-cooperative in the global fight against IUU fishing.

While the yellow card does not yet carry trade restrictions, prolonged non-compliance could lead to a red card, which would bar Ghana from exporting fishery products to the European Union market.

To avoid such sanctions and restore international confidence, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, outlined a number of decisive actions at the inauguration of the Commission’s new board. These include delisting non-compliant vessels and strengthening enforcement across the industry.

“This is not just an administrative appointment—it is a national calling,” the Minister told the newly sworn-in council. “Our sector feeds millions, employs thousands, and has the potential for economic transformation. We must pursue a sustainable, well-governed, and resilient fisheries and aquaculture sector that delivers food security, decent jobs, and economic growth.”

As part of reforms, the Ministry is also preparing to reintroduce a revised fisheries law after the previous legislation failed to gain parliamentary approval. The new legal framework is expected to align Ghana’s policies with international commitments and improve governance within the sector.

Chairperson of the newly constituted Council, Professor Wisdom Akpalu, acknowledged that the fisheries sector has suffered setbacks over the years, making it vulnerable to IUU activities. He emphasized the need for urgent reforms, especially in monitoring, control, and surveillance.

One of the major issues flagged includes illegal transshipment at sea, involving juvenile pelagic species exchanged between industrial trawlers and local canoes—activities that breach both local and international regulations.

Meanwhile, the sector minister has recounted her meeting at the World Bank Office in Accra to discuss key strategies for advancing Ghana's fisheries sector on Monday.

“We focused on job creation, coastal infrastructure development, and promoting gender empowerment in our coastal communities. I am grateful for the World Bank's commitment to supporting our initiatives and their willingness to collaborate on a shared development vision,” she wrote in a post on Facebook.

She welcomed the proposal for further technical engagement to solidify project plans.

The World Bank's job creation agenda aligns with the Ministry's goals, particularly in developing Ghana's aquaculture industry and creating sustainable livelihoods for women and youth in coastal areas.

Hon. Emelia Arthur has noted that international partners like Bloomberg and Oceana are supporting the data gathering efforts, which will inform our policy and project planning.

“With increased investment and technical support, I'm confident we can unlock the full potential of our fisheries sector and drive sustainable growth in our coastal regions,” she added.