President Mahama Launches “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” Initiative

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday unveiled the government’s flagship poultry revitalisation programme, the Nkoko Nkitinkiti, in Kumasi. The initiative, which goes beyond job creation to directly tackle the country’s heavy reliance on imported frozen chicken, will see the distribution of three million poultry birds across the country. Nkoko Nkitinkiti is structured to bring poultry production into everyday spaces, households, schools, and communities by providing beneficiaries with birds, feed, and essential inputs to launch their own poultry ventures, helping them transition from subsistence to sustainable income generation.

In the first phase of the programme, each beneficiary will receive 50 chicks, feed support, and ongoing technical assistance to ensure high survival rates and long-term sustainability.

President Mahama described the initiative as a fulfilled campaign promise and an integral pillar of the broader Feed Ghana Programme, which is aimed at strengthening food sovereignty and generating shared prosperity.

“It is with pride and a deep sense of national duty that I stand before you in this historic city of Kumasi, the birthplace of enterprise and innovation, to launch a programme that addresses the core of our national food security and inclusive growth agenda the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Household and Backyard Poultry Production Initiative,” he said.

He emphasised that the programme represents a national effort to restore food self-sufficiency, improve household resilience, and create sustainable livelihoods for thousands of Ghanaians, particularly women, young people, and vulnerable households.

Mr. Mahama noted that Ghana’s once-vibrant poultry sector, which contributed significantly to rural incomes and nutrition, has been constrained by challenges including high feed prices, limited access to improved breeds, inadequate processing facilities, and excessive dependence on imports.

“In 2023 alone, Ghana spent over $350 million importing poultry products, a drain on our foreign exchange and a missed opportunity for the nation’s farmers and entrepreneurs. We must and we will reverse this trend,” he stated.

He stressed that the country must urgently reclaim its capacity to produce, process, and consume what it grows locally.

Under the Feed Ghana Programme, government will implement a three-track strategy to revitalise the poultry value chain, from household production to commercial scale operations.

The approach includes the Poultry Farm-to-Table Project, Anchor Farmers initiative, and the Agro-Growers Support Scheme, which will support 50 carefully selected anchor poultry farmers. Each farmer will receive 80,000 chicks, housing, and logistics to produce four million birds collectively boosting domestic supply and creating a direct market link between producers and processors.