John Dumelo, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, has stated that Ghana’s reliance on imported poultry products is expected to decline sharply once the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative begins to yield results.

He made the remarks during a panel discussion on JoyNews on Monday, March 9, focusing on strategies to enhance national food self-sufficiency as part of Ghana at 69 celebrations.

“We know our consumption; we only produce five to six percent of what we consume in poultry products, which is why we launched the Nkoko Nkitinkiti project. Once it is fully operational, importation will decrease significantly,” he said.

The Deputy Minister revealed that distribution of birds under the programme is already underway across the country.

“Currently, we have started distributing the birds in five to six regions. Eight other regions are in the breeding stage, and within three months, all regions will have received birds. In total, we are distributing over three million birds,” he stated.

Government data indicates that Ghana spends between US$300 million and US$400 million annually on imported poultry meat and related products, highlighting the country’s heavy dependence on frozen chicken and other imported poultry.

The Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme, a flagship initiative under the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s Feed Ghana agenda, was launched in late 2025 by President John Dramani Mahama. The programme aims to transform the poultry value chain, strengthen food security, and empower thousands of households and local farmers nationwide.

Under the initiative, the government plans to distribute millions of birds, support local hatcheries and feed production, and develop market linkages to transition production from informal backyard systems to a more organised and commercialised sector.

“When you look at some of these policies, we hope that by the end of this year, we will see a noticeable decrease in the importation of poultry products, and eventually, we aim to eliminate the need for imports altogether,” Mr. Dumelo added.

The programme is expected to gradually boost domestic poultry production, reduce foreign dependency, and strengthen Ghana’s agricultural sector.