Techiman, Bono East Region – April 12, 2025 – President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched the Feed Ghana Programme, a bold new government initiative aimed at revitalizing the country’s agricultural sector, reducing food imports, and creating sustainable jobs across agriculture-related industries.
Speaking at a packed ceremony in Techiman, the capital of the Bono East Region, President Mahama outlined the key pillars of the programme, which targets households, communities, institutions, and industry players to improve food production and promote agricultural self-reliance.
“Feed Ghana is a development project, popularly referred to as Yeridua, to reduce imports from neighbouring countries. We’ll invest in controlled environmental farming, including greenhouse technologies and urban and peri-urban agriculture,” the President said.
Household and Community Gardens
The first major component of the Feed Ghana Programme focuses on household and community gardens. President Mahama urged Ghanaians to embrace backyard gardening to improve household nutrition and reduce food costs.
“Everybody will be encouraged to get some land near your house or behind your house and have a garden where you grow tomatoes, garden eggs, okra, onions, and pepper,” he said, reminiscing about the Operation Feed Yourself era of the past.
“When you went to pound fufu, you didn’t have to go to the market. You just went into the garden and harvested the ingredients.”
He emphasized that community gardens will not only boost nutrition but also generate income for households.
Institutional Farming Initiative
The second key area is institutional farming, with a strong focus on Senior High Schools and public institutions with available land.
“We’re encouraging schools to grow vegetables and raise livestock to supplement their feeding programs and instill a love for agriculture in students,” the President stated.
He revealed that several institutions are already onboard, including the National Service Scheme, the Ghana Prison Service, and the National Youth Employment Agency. Faith-based organizations, churches, and mosques have also expressed interest in participating.
“The Ghana Prison Service will reactivate prison farms, and NSS personnel will be engaged in active farming,” he added.
Reviving the Poultry Industry: Nkukor Kitin Kitin
A third and critical component of the Feed Ghana Programme is the revitalisation of Ghana’s poultry industry through the Nkukor Kitin Kitin initiative.
“Ghana imports almost $400 million worth of chicken every year. This we all must be ashamed of,” President Mahama lamented.
The initiative will strengthen the entire poultry value chain—from hatcheries and feed mills to processing and distribution. Fifty anchor farmers are set to receive support to raise four million birds, equating to 10,000 metric tonnes of chicken. An additional 55,000 households will be empowered to raise 500 birds each, significantly increasing domestic poultry production.
Supporting the Programme with Agricultural Professionals
To ensure successful implementation, the government has signed an MoU to deploy 5,000 agriculture and veterinary graduates across the country. These professionals will provide technical support to institutions and eventually be absorbed into the public sector.
President Mahama also revealed other complementary projects under the Feed Ghana Programme, including the Grains and Legumes Development Project, the Vegetable Development Project, and a broader Livestock Development Plan. These efforts are intended to boost agricultural productivity, reduce import dependency, and create long-term employment opportunities.
“Feed Ghana is more than a programme—it’s a movement to empower our people, feed our nation, and transform agriculture into a driver of economic growth,” President Mahama concluded.
The launch of the Feed Ghana Programme signals a significant shift in Ghana’s agricultural policy, with a renewed focus on self-sufficiency, innovation, and inclusive participation at all levels of society.
I highly appreciate that .it’s a good policy but most often policy like this doesn’t survive because of how it’s implemented. My community for instance generate not less than 80%of their income from dry season farming.okra, tomatoes and othe vegetables are abundant as lm speaking no market for these vegetables.l personally employed 20people to help me work at the garden of which 5 are male and 15 females