President John Dramani Mahama has urged Ghanaians to support the country’s poultry industry by purchasing locally produced chicken instead of imported alternatives.
The call forms part of his government’s newly launched “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” Poultry Initiative.
Speaking at the event’s launching in Kumasi on November 12, President Mahama expressed concern about Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported poultry, which he said costs the country hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
“If you look at the chicken we import, we use over 300 million dollars to import them. And those chickens have sometimes been in the fridge for a year before they sell them to us,” he said.
“So they are not chickens that are fresh, that help humans like what we are about to do, to give them the strength to work.”
Explaining the name of the initiative, President Mahama shared that Nkoko Nkitinkiti, which directly translates to ‘small chickens’, was inspired by a humorous mistake he once made while trying to say chickens’ children (nkoko mma) in Twi.
He described the initiative as a practical and transformative step toward strengthening Ghana’s food security and empowering households across the country.
“It is designed to bring poultry production directly to the doorsteps of every Ghanaian,” he said.
Outlining details of the plan, the President announced that government will distribute three million birds across all 276 constituencies, with each constituency receiving about 10,000 birds, benefitting approximately 60,000 households nationwide.
“We recognized that increased production must be accompanied by efficient processing, that is why we will be cutting sod for the establishment of a modern poultry processing factory in Bekyem,” he revealed.
He added that the long-term goal is to gradually reduce the importation of frozen chicken so that locally raised birds can dominate the market.
“Eventually we will make arrangements to reduce the chickens that we import so that those we are raising at home can be sold,” President Mahama said.
“The success of this program depends on our collective effort. It is the citizens’ movement for food security and self-reliance.”
The President called on traditional and religious leaders to champion the initiative in their communities, describing it as a reflection of national pride and renewal.
“Let us therefore take pride in producing what we eat, and eating what we make,” he urged.
He further revealed that locally processed poultry under the initiative will be branded with a Ghana flag stamp, helping consumers identify and support homegrown products.
“That way when you go to the cold store to buy chicken, you’ll see one with the flag on it to know that it’s the chicken we produced here,” he said.
“I plead with you, buy that one. Don’t buy the ‘obroni wawo’ chicken coming from abroad. Please buy stamped Ghana chicken and stop patronising imported chicken.”
The launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative comes at a time when many local farmers, especially in the maize, rice, and poultry sectors, have expressed frustration over declining sales and oversupply in the market.
