President John Dramani Mahama has pledged strong government support for the National Service Authority’s poultry project at Papao in Accra, describing it as a model farm that will serve as a hub for production, training, and research.
Speaking during a visit to the facility, the President praised the Authority and the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment for their achievements so far, noting that the project has already attained a 70,000-bird capacity out of a targeted 100,000.
“This project is said to have a hundred thousand bird capacity, and so far the centre has up to 70,000 birds. That is a very impressive number, and I am confident that soon you will reach full capacity,” President Mahama said.
He assured the young service personnel and volunteers working on the farm that the government would provide the necessary support to make the project a center of excellence.
“It will be both a producing farm, a training farm, and a research farm. I’ve already told the Finance Minister about what you are doing here. When he returns, I’ll march him straight to this farm so that when we submit our requests for hostels, vehicles, solar plants, and processing facilities, he won’t hesitate to release the funds,” he added.
The President further announced the imminent rollout of the “Nkokɔ Nkitinkiti” project, a nationwide poultry initiative designed to empower large, medium, and small-scale producers.
“Large-scale farmers will receive about 4 million day-old chicks, medium-scale producers 3 million, while young entrepreneurs and households who sign up will also receive chicks, feed, and vaccination support. Once the chickens are grown, we will buy them back, process them, and supply them to supermarkets and cold stores under the Nkokɔ Nkitinkiti brand,” he explained.
According to him, the project will drastically reduce Ghana’s poultry import bill and guarantee fresh, locally raised chicken for the population.
“Once the Nkokɔ Nkitinkiti project takes off, in three years we should be producing almost 100% of the chicken we eat in Ghana. We don’t know how imported chicken is raised, but here we can guarantee healthy, Ghanaian-grown chicken,” he stressed.
President Mahama also disclosed plans to establish feed mills using maize grown by the National Service farms and to expand into vegetable cultivation.
“In October, I will visit your maize farms, because that will complement this project. We will help you set up feed mills so that you produce your own feed to sustain the poultry farms,” he promised.
He commended the leadership of the National Service Authority and the young people behind the project, pledging his full backing.
“You are climbing a good tree, and I’m going to push you with all my strength,” President Mahama declared.
The President reaffirmed his vision of making the Papao project a model for West Africa, where other countries can learn from Ghana’s innovation in youth-led agriculture.