Ghana is taking decisive steps to break its heavy dependence on imported frozen chicken with the rollout of the government’s ambitious “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” project, aimed at achieving poultry self-sufficiency and reclaiming the domestic market.
The initiative, led by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, will empower 50 commercial-scale poultry farmers, each with the capacity to raise 80,000 birds to produce over 4 million chickens locally.
This strategy, according to Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Eric Opoku, will push Ghana’s poultry production capacity above 80%, significantly reducing the nation’s reliance on imported chicken.
“For too long, Ghana has relied on over 400,000 metric tonnes of frozen chicken annually, making up almost 70% of the poultry consumed in the country,” Mr. Opoku said at the Citi FM and Channel One TV Agri Fair in Accra.
He said that this initiative is not just about chickens but it is about national economic independence, job creation, and food security.
The “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” initiative, is part of the government’s broader effort to revamp the agricultural sector through efficiency, local empowerment, and value addition.
With the procurement process for birds and battery cages already underway, Mr. Opoku revealed that a pilot phase will be launched in the coming weeks to assess outcomes ahead of the full national rollout.
“But before we scale up, we are piloting something small to see what will happen when it is rolled out nationwide,” he said.
Meanwhile, the full launch is expected within the next two to three months.
Reclaiming a $600 Million Market
Ghana currently spends over $600 million annually importing frozen chicken, largely from Europe, the U.S., and Brazil, this has long crippled local poultry farmers who cannot compete with the heavily subsidized imports.
However, by investing directly in large-scale production, the government hopes to restore competitiveness to the domestic poultry industry and keep revenue circulating within the local economy.
“With the right investment and technical support, these 50 farms can produce 4 million birds for the Ghanaian market at a time,” Mr. Opoku said.
He said that alone will lift our poultry sufficiency level beyond 80% and gradually, we will eliminate the need for imports altogether.
More Than Just Poultry
The ripple effect of the project is expected to extend across several economic fronts, including, gains in maize and soy production used as feed transportation, veterinary services, packaging, and cold storage logistics.
The poultry industry in Ghana has long struggled with high import dependency, making local production initiatives like Nkoko Nkitinkiti crucial for food security and economic resilience.
More importantly, the project promises to create thousands of jobs directly and indirectly.
“This is not just about food security. It’s about industrialization, youth employment, and building resilience in our supply chains,” Mr. Opoku emphasized.
Moreover, the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers have said that domestic production covers only 30% of total poultry consumption, leaving the rest to imports.
This imbalance affects the country’s trade deficit and exposes it to external market shocks and currency fluctuations.
Public-Private Partnerships to Drive Growth
The success of “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” will hinge on collaboration between government, private investors, and technical partners. Already, financial arrangements are being made to support the selected commercial farms with soft loans and technical assistance.
Meanwhile, agribusiness stakeholders attending the Agri Fair praised the move as timely, especially amid global food security concerns, exchange rate pressures, and rising inflation.
“It’s the boldest poultry policy we’ve seen in decades. If this project is sustained, Ghana can become a net exporter of chicken within a few years,” said Dr. Samuel Osei Bekoe, an agriculture expert.
