Reviving Ghana’s poultry sector: Fixing the system, not just the symptoms

Ghana’s poultry industry stands at a perilous crossroads. Once a cornerstone of national productivity and food security, the sector has been battered by decades of poor policy implementation, institutional neglect, and underinvestment. Livestock’s share of agricultural GDP declined from 12.6 per cent in 2014 to just 8.3 per cent by 2020 (FAO, USDA). 

In 2023 alone, Ghana imported approximately $298 million worth of poultry meat, making it the 27th-largest poultry importer globally (OEC, WITS, World Bank). 

Additionally, Trading Economics estimates that the country spent about US$210 million on other categories of meat and edible offal during the same period. This is sad considering the abundant land, skilled farmers, and growing demand.

This heavy reliance on imports is more than an economic inefficiency—it is a structural failure. Ghana is exporting jobs, draining foreign exchange, and undermining rural livelihoods. 

Poultry, a sector with quick returns and high employment potential, is both the biggest casualty and Ghana’s most viable opportunity for food sovereignty.

Good policy, poor delivery

The 2016–2025 Livestock Development Policy and Strategy (LDPS) was designed to remove bottlenecks and scale up domestic livestock production. But nearly a decade on, the policy has delivered little impact. 

There is no implementation roadmap, no budgetary commitment, and no mechanism for tracking results. For most poultry actors, the LDPS remains a document—not a driver.

This is not to suggest that no effort has been made. Numerous consultations have been held, and several strategic documents have been produced. However, these lacked the binding commitments, enforcement structures, and multi-stakeholder accountability frameworks required to turn paper into progress.

Moreover, most poultry farmers—especially small and medium-scale producers—are unaware of the policy's content, and therefore cannot align their practices or advocate meaningfully for its implementation. This disconnects between national planning and grassroots execution further weakens sectoral cohesion.

Weak policy, stronger imports

Trade liberalisation without protection has made Ghana a dumping ground for subsidised poultry from the EU, USA, Brazil, and now China. Exporters benefit from subsidies, while local producers struggle with uncompetitive feed costs, inconsistent hatchery performance, and no protection from state agencies.

A strategic trade policy—one that sets import ceilings, regulates quality, and mandates public institutions (e.g., schools, hospitals, prisons) to procure locally—is long overdue.

In the absence of clear import controls, the influx of low-quality frozen chicken continues to distort prices, reduce margins for local producers, and erode consumer preference for fresh, locally grown poultry.

Why we must advocate now

Policy influencing is no longer optional. Advocacy must be deliberate, informed, and collective—anchored in robust data, urgency, and strategic communication. It must engage Parliament, Ministries, donor partners, farmer associations, and the Ghanaian public.

It is critical that the livestock and poultry sectors push for:

1.    Passage of the Animal Health Bill (2020): Modernise animal health laws

2.    Enforcement of Meat Inspection Regulations: Equip and empower veterinary officers

3.    Implementation of a National Biosecurity Certification Scheme: Classify farms based on standards

4.    Adoption and Enforcement of Hatchery Codes: Standardise practices to ensure healthy stock

Beyond legislation, advocacy must also focus on budgetary allocations, accountability mechanisms, and stakeholder capacity building.

Strategic priorities

If the sector is to recover, Ghana must go beyond talk shops and PowerPoint promises. A National Livestock Advocacy Action Plan must be developed and implemented with measurable timelines. This should include:

•    Development and rollout of a poultry biosecurity classification scheme

•    Piloting of a Poultry Farm Rating System to support access to finance and insurance

•    Structured communication and lobbying to prioritise passage of the Animal Health Bill

•    Orientation and sensitisation for key parliamentarians and committee chairs

•    Dedicated media and public engagement strategies to sustain public pressure

Public awareness campaigns are also needed to shift consumer behaviour toward local poultry, supported by branding initiatives such as the “Eat Ghana Chicken” campaign.

The government cannot act alone. Poultry associations, feed millers, hatcheries, processors, and financial institutions must: push for budget allocations and policy implementation, lead voluntary code adoption and compliance, mobilise public awareness campaigns, strengthen internal governance and coordination, and build credible data systems to support policy advocacy.

Effective private sector coordination will be key to unlocking blended finance and donor support.

Integrated poultry action plan

To consolidate impact, Ghana must align policy, regulation, investment, and implementation under a National Poultry Action Plan anchored on five pillars:

1.    Production & inputs: National breeding strategy, DOC quality, feed access

2.    Veterinary & biosecurity: Surveillance, rapid response, and laboratory strengthening

3.    Processing & cold chain: Modern abattoirs, chilling, and packaging infrastructure

4.    Trade & procurement: Import quotas, quality enforcement, and public procurement mandates

5.    Finance & insurance: De-risking, blended capital, and biosecurity-linked lending

This action plan must also include a rigorous Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework to enable adaptive management and transparent results tracking.

Stakeholders must agree on clear KPIs—e.g., reduction in poultry imports, initiation of national breeding programmes, increase in hatchery quality and throughput, and number of farms certified under biosecurity standards—to measure progress and inform adjustments.

Turning policy into productivity

Ghana has no shortage of policy documents. What it lacks is consistent, courageous implementation. Poultry can serve as the engine for rural transformation, job creation, and import substitution—if we move beyond lip service.

The sector does not need more forums. It needs a practical roadmap, with accountability, political will, and financial commitment. Ghana can build a poultry industry that feeds its people, creates jobs, and contributes to national development.

Let us stop admiring the problem. The tools exist. The market exists. What we need now is action—bold, coordinated, and sustained.

Let us feed Ghana with Ghanaian chicken: nutritious, biosecured, and proudly local.