The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is set to commission a new multi-purpose abattoir in the coming days as part of efforts to improve meat safety and strengthen hygienic slaughtering practices in the metropolis.
The facility, located in Accra, has been developed to provide a dedicated centre where animals can be received, inspected, slaughtered, processed and stored under improved sanitary and veterinary conditions before the meat reaches consumers.
The new abattoir is equipped with an offloading bay, veterinary section, changing rooms, storage facilities, washrooms, freezing bays and designated slaughtering and processing areas.
It also has an animal drinking pond and a cattle lairage where animals can be held before slaughter.
The facility is expected to give veterinary officers greater control over the process, allowing animals to be properly received and examined before they are approved for slaughter and processing.
Its design also provides separate areas for the various stages of animal handling, slaughtering, meat preparation and storage, with the aim of improving compliance with food safety and environmental health requirements.
The project comes as part of efforts to ensure that meat consumed by residents of Accra is processed in conditions that minimise health risks associated with unhygienic slaughtering and poor meat handling.
Beyond its public health role, the abattoir is expected to support economic activity in Jamestown and surrounding communities, where a number of people depend on the meat trade for their livelihoods.
Butchers, livestock traders and other businesses linked to the meat industry are expected to benefit from the improved facility and the economic opportunities it could create.
The commissioning of the abattoir is expected to mark another step by the AMA towards improving sanitary conditions within the metropolis while providing a more organised environment for meat processing and distribution.
