The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has begun the distribution of poultry birds to registered beneficiaries in the Ashanti Region under the government’s Nkoko Nketenkete initiative, marking a significant step toward reviving Ghana’s domestic poultry industry.
The exercise started in the Ejisu Municipality before moving to the Juaben Municipality. Each beneficiary received 50 poultry birds and two bags of Nkoko Nketenkete-branded feed to support initial production.
The initiative forms part of the broader Feed Ghana Programme, which aims to boost local food production, create employment, and reduce Ghana’s heavy dependence on imported poultry products.
According to MoFA, domestic demand for poultry meat before 2025 exceeded 350,000 metric tonnes annually, while local production accounted for only about 15,000 metric tonnes. This shortfall left nearly 300,000 metric tonnes to be supplied through imports.
Speaking at a press briefing in Kumasi ahead of the distribution, the National Coordinator of the Feed Ghana Programme, Mr. Bright Demordzi, said registration forms have been dispatched to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) nationwide to ensure a smooth and coordinated rollout of the programme.
Although the Ashanti Region is the first to benefit, Mr. Demordzi indicated that other regions will be covered in phases, depending on their readiness and implementation capacity.
He explained that the programme is deliberately targeting youth- and women-led enterprises, as well as small- and medium-scale poultry farmers, to ensure the intervention delivers meaningful economic benefits to vulnerable groups.
Launched in Kumasi last year, the Nkoko Nketenkete project has been described as more than a farming initiative, but a strategic economic recovery tool aimed at creating jobs, strengthening food security, and growing Ghana’s poultry value chain.
Some beneficiaries who spoke to Atinka News’ Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Obofo Michael, expressed gratitude to the Government of Ghana for introducing the programme, describing it as timely support that will help revive poultry farming and improve livelihoods in the region.
Reported By Obofo Michael
