The Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Michael Kwasi Aidoo, has criticised the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme, describing it as an initiative that was flawed from the beginning.
He also accused the government of spending more than GH¢200 million without tackling the major problems affecting Ghana’s poultry industry.
His remarks follow comments by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, who encouraged beneficiaries of the programme to treat the birds as a business venture by selling most of them instead of consuming them.
Mr Aidoo argued that the programme should have focused on increasing local poultry production and reducing the country’s reliance on imported chicken rather than encouraging consumption.
“If that is the reason for doing the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme and spending over GH¢200 million, then I would say the programme is a failure from the start,” he said.
Mr Aidoo maintained that Ghana’s main challenge is its heavy dependence on imported poultry, not the level of local consumption.
He noted that the country spends about US$600 million every year on poultry imports and said government efforts should instead support local farmers and encourage more people to invest in poultry farming.
The Oforikrom MP further accused the government of politicising the initiative by allegedly distributing birds through district assemblies to supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“The programme that was meant to increase poultry production has now become a programme that is feeding party supporters,” he alleged.
Mr Aidoo argued that the more than GH¢200 million allocated to the programme could have delivered better results if it had been used to establish a financing scheme for poultry farmers.
He suggested that the funds should have been channelled through banks as low-interest loans for both existing farmers and new entrants with viable business plans.
He also questioned how the programme was implemented, claiming many beneficiaries received little or no technical training or extension support before the birds were distributed.
Mr Aidoo said some people eventually ate the birds because they could not afford to feed them, while others struggled to find a market for their poultry.
