Eric Opoku, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, has said he is unaware of any National Broiler Project Directorate implementing poultry-related programmes under his ministry.
The issue stems from a discussion on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, where host Bernard Avle wanted clarification over reports that some beneficiaries of the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” programme received fewer than 50 birds.
Kelvin Ocran, the alleged National Coordinator of the National Broiler Project, revealed that his outfit supplies birds to large-scale farms to help meet the country’s poultry demand.
“It is important that, looking at the unemployment, you create a new programme, called the poultry entrepreneurs, to start from the base. Because the field is also a delicate area, we do not want to give someone who is a novice over a thousand birds to raise. So, what we are doing is providing enough support for the industry,” he explained.
Reacting to the claims, the Agric Minister rejected any suggestion that the directorate operates under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
According to him, such a body, to his knowledge, does not implement government projects.
The Agric Minister stated, “That office is supposed to be an advisory office. They don’t actually implement projects. I am surprised, and I am not aware of that”.
When asked whether he knows about the existence of that office within the ministry, the Minister responded categorically: “No, no, no.”
Mr Opoku stressed, “I am the Minister for Food and Agriculture. All such projects are executed under my instruction, and my team is working. I have never heard that such a project is being run by another agency”.
“This is the first time I am hearing this. In the budget, I also did not see any allocation for such an initiative. So, if that is a private initiative or something, I may not be aware,” he added.
The confusion raises fresh questions about coordination within the John Mahama government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti project.
Also, some Ghanaian social media users on X have called out President John Dramani Mahama following his Nkoko Nkitinkiti figures during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered in Parliament on Friday, February 27, 2026.
During the address, President Mahama highlighted his government’s flagship Nkoko Nkitinkiti, which is aimed at boosting local poultry production.
According to John Mahama, the initiative is designed not only as a job-creation intervention but also as a deliberate policy to cut down the country’s estimated $300–$400 million annual poultry import.
The disagreement erupted after President Mahama stated that 720 birds had been distributed to 13,000 farmers during the pilot phase, with many netizens on X questioning the figures.
One X user wrote, “ 720 birds to 13,000 farmers
Let’s do the mathematics 👇:
Meaning each farmer got 0.05 birds
Oh, Mahama Charley, the man doesn’t know what he is saying. Next time, they should serve him water instead of Akpeteshie”.
Another wrote, “President Mahama says he distributed 720 birds to 13,000 famers.
How will 13,000 people share 720 birds? Herr, this man can lie”.
One user wrote, “Pathological liar. How can you distribute 720 birds for 13,000 farmers.”
“President Mahama says he distributed 720 birds to 13,000 farmers. How will 13,000 people share 720 birds? This man can lie”, one more Ghanaian added.
Another commented, “How can you share 720 birds to 13,000 farmers, Mr. President? The maths doesn’t add up.”
One last x user added, “720 birds to 13,000 farmers? Were the birds live or dead? I’m confused.”
However, in parts of the speech, President John Mahama stated, “Ghana has launched a comprehensive poultry farm-to-table project. This comprises 50 anchor commercial farmers producing four million birds, 500 SMEs producing three million birds, and a small-scale backyard poultry programme targeting three million birds nationwide, with emphasis on women and young people.
“Mr Speaker, the programme is underway, and the target is to reach 60,000 households. Even before I officially launched the programme, 720 birds had been distributed during the pilot phase to 13,000 farmers in 12 districts.”
In the meantime, previous data indicate that President Mahama may have intended to reference 720,000 birds and not 720.
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