The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has distanced himself from claims that a body known as the National Broiler Project Directorate is implementing poultry-related programmes under his ministry.
According to the Minister, he is unaware of any such office undertaking projects, insisting that all government agricultural initiatives fall under his direct supervision.
The issue was discussed on The Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, where host Bernard Avle sought clarification over reports that some beneficiaries of the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” programme received fewer than the expected 50 birds.
Earlier on the programme, the National Coordinator of the alleged directorate, Kelvin Ocran, indicated that his outfit focuses on supplying 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. However, reacting to the claims, Mr Opoku rejected any suggestion that the directorate operates under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, clarifying that such a body, to his knowledge, does not implement government projects. “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,” he said. When further pressed on whether such an office exists within the ministry, the Minister responded emphatically: “No, no, no.” Mr Opoku stressed that all agricultural programmes are executed under his authority and through officially recognised structures within the ministry. “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,” he stated. He added that he had not seen any budgetary allocation for such an initiative, raising further doubts about its legitimacy. “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 development raises fresh questions about coordination within Ghana’s poultry sector initiatives, particularly as the government rolls out programmes aimed at boosting local production and addressing unemployment.
