Efforts are underway to reposition Ghana’s poultry industry as a competitive and job-creating sector, as public and private partners intensify consultations to develop a national Poultry Sector Master Plan aimed at reducing the country’s heavy reliance on imported poultry products.
Ghana consumes between 300,000 and 460,000 metric tonnes of poultry meat annually, yet an estimated 80 to 95 percent of that demand is met through imports, largely frozen chicken.
The imbalance has exposed long-standing structural weaknesses across the poultry value chain, from production and feed supply to processing and marketing.
To address these challenges, the Animal Production Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in collaboration with Agri-Impact Limited and the Mastercard Foundation’s Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Programme, has engaged a consultant to develop a comprehensive Poultry Sector Master Plan.
The plan is expected to identify growth opportunities, improve competitiveness, stimulate investment and significantly reduce import dependence, while creating employment opportunities for young people, women and persons with disabilities.
As part of the process, the Directorate is convening poultry stakeholders across the Northern Sector, Middle Belt and Southern Sector to ensure broad participation and ownership of the policy framework.
The Poultry Masterplan Stakeholders Dialogue, implemented under the HAPPY Programme, seeks to validate baseline data on the poultry value chain, assess constraints affecting productivity and competitiveness, and define clear policy, infrastructure and investment priorities.
Addressing stakeholders in the Middle Belt, Mr Abraham Sarfo, Agribusiness and Value Chain Specialist at Agri-Impact, said although progress had been made in recent years, Ghana’s current production levels remained far below what was required to meet domestic demand.
“With the level of demand we have as a country, we probably need to do ten times what is being done now,” he said.
Mr Sarfo noted that investment in the broiler industry was gradually increasing, citing the establishment of new feed mills, improved feed formulations and emerging processing plants, some of which are already supplying high-end markets.
However, he stressed the need for deeper investment in technology and innovation to scale production sustainably.
He commended the Ghana EXIM Bank for prioritising poultry, rice, garments and textiles as key sectors for investment under current government initiatives.
Mr Sarfo also called for stronger and more coordinated poultry stakeholders’ associations to drive research, advocacy and policy engagement to support long-term sector growth.
Highlighting the impact of the HAPPY Programme, Mr Prince Manu Yeboah, Business Development and Research Manager at Agri-Impact, said that between December 2023 and December 2025, the programme supported the production of 4.6 million poultry birds, generated about $25.2 million in revenue and created approximately 8,000 jobs for young people.
He added that broiler meat production under the programme alone amounted to about 7,500 metric tonnes during the period.
Dr Dennis Owusu Adjei, Deputy Director in charge of Breeding at MoFA, expressed optimism that the stakeholder engagements would help lay a strong foundation for boosting local poultry production and increasing consumer confidence in domestically produced poultry products.
He said inputs from industry players would be critical to shaping a practical and implementable master plan capable of transforming Ghana’s poultry sector and strengthening food security.
