The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has expressed confidence that Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported poultry products will significantly reduce once the government’s flagship poultry development initiative, Nkoko Nkitinkiti, begins to achieve its intended outcomes.
According to him, Ghana currently produces only about five to six percent of its poultry consumption needs, forcing the country to depend heavily on imports to meet local demand.
“We know our consumption patterns, and currently we only produce about five to six percent of what we consume when it comes to poultry products. That is why we launched the Nkoko Nkitinkiti project to ensure there are enough poultry products in the country. Once the programme fully takes off, poultry imports will reduce drastically,” he stated.
Mr. Dumelo disclosed that the first phase of bird distribution under the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme has successfully been completed, with preparations underway to commence the second phase across the country.
The initiative forms part of government’s broader strategy to revitalize Ghana’s poultry industry, improve food security, create jobs, and reduce the country’s import bill.
The Deputy Minister made these remarks during the official launch of the 6th Edition of Ghana Poultry Day, scheduled to take place on July 1, 2026, at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra.
Organized annually by Agrihouse Foundation, Ghana Poultry Day has evolved into one of the country’s most influential agricultural advocacy platforms, bringing together stakeholders across the poultry value chain to promote local production, consumption, investment, and industry growth.
The event seeks to create awareness about the importance of supporting locally produced poultry while fostering stronger collaboration among poultry farmers, processors, feed manufacturers, financial institutions, policymakers, development partners, and consumers.
This year’s celebration is themed: “Stepping Up to Feed Ghana Through Ghana’s Poultry Value Chain.”
The theme underscores the urgent need for stakeholders to work collectively towards strengthening Ghana’s poultry sector to improve national food security, generate employment opportunities, and reduce dependence on imported poultry products.
The 2026 Ghana Poultry Day celebration will feature a wide range of activities, including stakeholder dialogue sessions, poultry exhibitions, marketplace engagements, media interactions, consumer education campaigns, networking opportunities, and business-to-business engagements.
A major highlight of this year’s event will be an innovative chef’s activation and cooking competition aimed at showcasing creative local poultry dishes and encouraging Ghanaians to patronize locally produced chicken.
Organizers believe such initiatives will help increase consumer confidence in locally produced poultry while creating market opportunities for poultry farmers and processors.
Beyond advocacy and awareness creation, Ghana Poultry Day has over the years delivered direct support to poultry farmers and aspiring producers.
During the fifth edition of the event, more than 5,000 day-old chicks were distributed to selected beneficiaries across the country to encourage poultry farming and support livelihood development.
Speaking at the launch, Executive Chairperson of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, noted that many beneficiaries of last year’s intervention are already recording encouraging results.
According to her, several recipients have successfully raised their birds into productive poultry enterprises, contributing to household incomes and local food production.
She indicated that this year’s event is expected to attract poultry farmers and farmer associations, agribusinesses, feed manufacturers, poultry processors, students, chefs, hospitality industry players, financial institutions, development organizations, government agencies, media practitioners, and members of the public.
Ms. Akosa further appealed to corporate organizations, development partners, agribusinesses, and other stakeholders within the agricultural sector to support the initiative through sponsorships, exhibitions, technical partnerships, and public education campaigns.
Also speaking at the launch, the National Coordinator of the Feed Ghana Programme, Bright Demordzi, reaffirmed government’s commitment to transforming the poultry industry.
He assured stakeholders that efforts would continue to scale up production, strengthen value chain linkages, and create an enabling environment for sustainable growth within the sector.
“We remain committed to sustaining the momentum, increasing local production, and working closely with all stakeholders to build a resilient, competitive, and self-reliant poultry industry for Ghana,” he said.
Industry experts have long identified poultry production as a critical sector capable of creating thousands of jobs while contributing significantly to national food security and economic growth.
With government interventions such as the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, the Feed Ghana Programme, and the annual Ghana Poultry Day advocacy campaign, stakeholders remain optimistic that Ghana can gradually reduce its dependence on imported poultry products and strengthen local production capacity.
As the country continues to pursue agricultural transformation and self-sufficiency, the 6th Edition of Ghana Poultry Day is expected to once again highlight the immense opportunities within Ghana’s poultry value chain and inspire renewed commitment towards building a resilient poultry industry capable of feeding the nation and creating sustainable economic opportunities for thousands of Ghanaians.
