The 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, in collaboration with the Accelerated Export Development Authority (AEDA), has mobilised financing commitments exceeding GH¢1 billion to transform Ghana’s poultry value chain.
The financing is expected to support investments in key segments of the industry, including feed production, day-old chick supply, equipment, processing, storage and veterinary services.
Mr Arnold Parker, Funding Team Lead of the Secretariat, disclosed this at stakeholder discussions on the National Transformation Poultry Programme in Accra.
He said the Secretariat had secured strong commitments from financial institutions and investors to provide the financing needed to expand local poultry production, create jobs and reduce the country’s dependence on imported chicken.
The financing would be provided through private sector actors, including Absa Bank Ghana, Fidelity Bank and Ecobank Ghana.
Mr Parker said the first phase of the programme would target about GH¢300 million, with additional financing expected to be mobilised following the initial implementation cycle.
“The funds are ready, but we must put in place the right structures to draw down the financing and deploy it effectively across the industry,” he said.
Mr Parker said the programme is designed not only to increase poultry production but also to strengthen the entire value chain, from input suppliers and breeders to processors and off-takers.
He said the initiative formed part of the country’s Accelerated Export Development agenda, which sought to position locally produced poultry products for regional and international markets.
He stressed the need for financial products specifically tailored to the operational realities of poultry farming, saying conventional lending arrangements could place excessive pressure on farmers.
He said banks and industry stakeholders would collaborate to develop customised financing solutions that reflected poultry production cycles and enabled farmers and businesses to repay loans in a sustainable manner.
The financing initiative comes amid Ghana’s heavy dependence on imported poultry products to meet domestic demand.
The 2024 Budget Statement indicated that Ghana consumed about 324,047 metric tonnes of poultry in 2022 but produced only 15,000 metric tonnes locally, representing about 4.6 percent of total consumption.
Consequently, about 95 percent of poultry consumed in the country was imported, mainly from Brazil, the United States and Europe.
The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers estimates that the country spends nearly US$400 million annually on imported poultry products.
Mr Parker said the new financing framework would help address some of the structural constraints affecting local production by providing targeted support across the value chain.
He said the programme would also strengthen enterprise management and technical capacity to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of poultry businesses.
The Secretariat, he added, would collaborate with research institutions, including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to improve productivity, promote innovation and strengthen the industry’s capacity to meet growing domestic and export demand.
