President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled a bold new initiative aimed at revitalizing Ghana’s poultry sector and promoting food self-sufficiency.
Speaking at the launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme in the Ashanti Region, the president described the effort as a transformative national movement designed to empower households, boost rural livelihoods, and reduce the country’s dependence on imported poultry.
The centrepiece of the programme is the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Household and Backyard Poultry Production Initiative, which President Mahama said goes beyond a typical government intervention.
“This initiative is more than just a government intervention. It 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 across our country,” he said.
The Nkoko Nkitinkiti Initiative forms a key part of the Poultry Industry Revitalization Program, itself a flagship component of the broader Feed Ghana agenda — the national strategy for agricultural transformation, food sovereignty, and inclusive prosperity.
President Mahama lamented the decline of Ghana’s poultry industry, once a vibrant contributor to rural incomes and national nutrition. He cited persistent challenges such as high feed costs, limited access to improved breeds, inadequate processing infrastructure, and an over-reliance on foreign imports.
“In 2023 alone, Ghana spent over $350 million importing poultry products — a drain on our foreign exchange and a missed opportunity for our farmers and entrepreneurs,” he noted. “We must, and we will, reverse this trend.”
The Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme is expected to provide targeted support to smallholder farmers, promote backyard poultry production, and create market linkages that will help reduce post-harvest losses and improve food security. It also aims to stimulate job creation and entrepreneurship in rural communities, particularly among women and youth.
Agricultural stakeholders have welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention that could restore confidence in the domestic poultry industry and reduce Ghana’s vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions.
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