President John Dramani Mahama has described the ‘Nkoko Nkitikiti’ project as a national movement.
He made the statement when he launched the flagship agricultural policy in Kumasi on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
This is a nationwide program aimed at revolutionizing the poultry industry to create jobs and boost export.
The ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ project formed a key part of the NDC 2024 campaign. A national plan designed to drive agricultural transformation, food sovereignty, and shared prosperity.
The project is expected to cut the 300 million dollars Ghana spends annually on importing frozen chicken. It is a 3million-bird project, and it is expected to benefit 55,000 households.
Together, they are expected to produce 4 million birds.
This will boost local feed demand and establish direct market connections between producers and processors.
He called on the people to support the project.
The President described the initiative as a bold and practical step towards achieving food self-sufficiency and empowering communities.
He said that the project was “more than just a government intervention ” calling it ” a national movement, a courageous step towards restoring food self-sufficiency, strengthening household resilience, and fostering sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of Ghanaians, especially women, youth, and vulnerable families across our country “.
President bemoaned the decline of the country’s once vibrant poultry sector, citing persistent challenges such as high feed costs, limited access to breeds, inadequate processing capacity, and heavy dependence on imports.
“In 2023 alone, Ghana spent over 350million dollars importing poultry products. That is a drain on our foreign exchange and a missed opportunity for our farmers and entrepreneurs. We must, and we will, reverse this trend,” he pledged.
He said, the time has come for Ghana “to reclaim the pride of producing and consuming what we ourselves grow“.
He pointed out that; the feed Ghana programme is built on a three- pronged strategy aimed at restoring the poultry value chain from the household level to commercial production.
He noted that first component, the Poultry Farm-to-Table project would support 50 anchor farmers selected from across the country.
“Each of these 50 anchor farmers will receive 80,000 birds, housing, logistics, and technical support,” the President said.
He added that the second component, supported by the Food Systems Resilience Programme, targets 500 small and medium-scale poultry farmers across all regions.
“We are supporting 500 small and medium-scale poultry farmers across all regions to produce 3 million birds bringing the gap between large-scale farmers and community-based producers “.
President Mahama described the third and most community-driven aspect as the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti ” or Backyard Poultry for Nutrition and Livelihoods initiative, which seeks to bring poultry farming directly into homes, schools, and communities.
“This initiative is designed to bring poultry production directly to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian in homes, in schools, and in communities across the country. Vulnerable households will receive pullets and starter packs to initiate production, transforming subsistence into self-sustaining livelihoods “, he said.
He disclosed that under this phase, the government will distribute 3 million birds across all 276 constituencies, with each constituency receiving 10,000 birds, benefiting approximately 60,000 households.
“Each household participating in the programme will receive 50 birds, field support, and technical guidance to ensure the sustainability of their project.
