A total of 210 households in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region have benefited from the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti poultry programme aimed at improving livelihoods, enhancing food security and reducing poverty among rural families.
The beneficiaries received poultry birds under the initiative, which forms part of government’s broader efforts to promote household poultry production and create sustainable economic opportunities in rural communities.
Speaking during the distribution exercise, the District Chief Executive for Adaklu and Dean of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), Jerry Yaw Ameko, described the programme as a transformative intervention designed to empower residents through poultry farming.
According to him, the initiative seeks to reduce overreliance on traditional farming methods while creating opportunities for households to generate income and improve nutrition.
“There is a lot of dependence on the land, and in many cases we end up creating wealth for others instead of ourselves. The President believes that by introducing this project, people can create wealth within their own communities,” he said.
Mr. Ameko noted that the birds would not only provide meat and eggs for household consumption but also produce manure that could support backyard gardening activities.
He said the programme would improve nutrition among children while creating additional income streams for beneficiary households through the sale of eggs and mature birds.
The DCE disclosed that the district initially planned to distribute about 10,000 birds to 200 households. However, challenges including mortality and pecking among the birds reduced the final number available for distribution.
Despite the setback, each beneficiary household received 40 birds, enabling the district to increase the number of beneficiaries from the originally planned 200 to 210 households due to the high level of interest in the programme.
Mr. Ameko expressed optimism that the initiative would stimulate local economic activity and improve living standards across the district.
He also appealed to the government to sustain and expand the programme to accommodate more residents who have expressed interest in benefiting from future phases.
Addressing concerns over the selection process, he dismissed suggestions that the programme was politically motivated, stressing that it was intended to benefit all Ghanaians regardless of political affiliation.
“There is no political colour attached to this programme. The President is serving every Ghanaian. For this first phase, 210 households have benefited, and future distributions will target others who have not yet been covered,” he assured.
The District Director of Agriculture for Adaklu, Eugenia Nanka-Bruce, urged beneficiaries to take proper care of the birds by providing adequate feed, water and suitable housing to ensure the success of the programme.
She expressed hope that the initiative would significantly improve the livelihoods of beneficiaries and contribute to economic growth in the district.
Some beneficiaries also expressed gratitude to the government for the intervention and pledged to use the birds for their intended purpose to improve their economic conditions.
