President Mahama Launches ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ Initiative to Distribute 3 million Birds Nationwide

President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti Household and Backyard Poultry Production Initiative”, a national programme aimed at revitalising Ghana’s poultry sector, boosting household livelihoods and reducing food-import dependence. The launch took place on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 in Kumasi.

Under the initiative:

The government plans to distribute 3 million birds across all 276 constituencies, with each constituency receiving 10,000 birds. Around 60,000 households are expected to benefit immediately, each receiving 50 birds, starter feed and technical support. The programme forms part of the broader Feed Ghana Programme and the national Poultry Industry Revitalisation agenda, which aims to raise Ghana’s poultry self-sufficiency from about 12 % to over 75 % by 2028.

The initiative operates on a three-tier model:

Anchor farmers: 50 large-scale producers selected to receive 80,000 birds each, aiming to generate 4 million birds in total.

Small- and medium-scale producers: Government support for 500 producers across regions to produce 3 million birds.

Household/backyard producers: The Nkoko Nkitinkiti component distributes birds, feed and training directly to households to start chicken-rearing businesses.

President Mahama revealed that the government will construct poultry processing plants in strategic locations, including a facility in Bechem, Bono Region. These processing-and-packaging centers will enable local producers to participate in value addition rather than solely production.

Veterinary services, feed production, hatchery support and farmer service centers (270 across the country) have also been announced to ensure the programme’s sustainability and linkage to agribusiness opportunities.

Ghana currently spends over US$350 million annually on poultry imports, draining foreign exchange and limiting local job creation. The new initiative targets that imbalance.

By equipping households with birds and technical support rather than just subsidies, the government hopes to transform poultry production into income-generating enterprises, especially for women, youth and vulnerable groups.

Linkages to the Feed Ghana Programme mean that poultry production is being integrated into a broader strategy around food security, value addition and agriculture–industry linkages.

The success of the programme will depend on monitoring, household capacity to rear birds, feed-cost control and ensuring that the birds reach the intended beneficiaries and mature for sale or consumption.

Scaling from backyard poultry to industrial-scale processing presents risks: disease control, logistics, market access and investment in processing infrastructure will all need to be managed.