“Nkoko Nkitinkiti” Project

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday 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.