The government is set to launch the pilot phase of its flagship poultry initiative, Nkoko Nkitinkiti, next month in the Northern Region. The project aims to reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported poultry products—especially chicken and eggs—and create sustainable employment opportunities for young people. Twelve districts in the Northern Region have been selected for the pilot rollout. Once fully implemented, Nkoko Nkitinkiti is expected to benefit at least 55,000 households nationwide and significantly boost youth employment in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the three-day AgriFair organised by Channel One TV, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to revitalising the local poultry industry. “Nkoko Nkitinkiti is just one of the three major programmes under the Feed Ghana initiative. We are in the process of procuring birds and battery cages for distribution to households. But even before full procurement is complete, we’re launching a small-scale pilot next month in the north to assess how the programme performs at scale,” the Minister said.
“We’ve selected about 12 districts for this pilot phase, which will run for four months. Within two to three months, we plan to fully roll out the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme nationwide,” he added. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Samson Ahi, announced plans to launch an agribusiness export programme aimed at supporting farmers and agribusiness players with value addition and international market readiness.
“To succeed in exports, we must add value to what we produce. I’ve seen more farmers packaging their goods neatly and preparing for the global market,” he said. “The Ministry is reading a policy to support agribusiness players and educate them on the advantages of value addition. We hope to launch this initiative next month,” he added.
