Interior Minister’s Spokesperson Calls Nkokonkitikiti Critics ‘Fools’

Julius Kwame Anthony, the Presidential Staffer and Press Secretary/Spokesperson to the Minister for the Interior, has branded critics of Ghana's poultry farming and animal husbandry as "fools." The remark was made during an appearance on JoyNews' AM Show on September 23, 2026, where Anthony defended the government's Nkokonkitikiti poultry programme.

Launched by President John Dramani Mahama, the programme aims to distribute three million poultry birds across Ghana to bolster local production, generate income, and lessen reliance on imported frozen chicken. Anthony highlighted the country's poultry import bill of approximately US$400 million in 2020 as evidence of the urgent need to bolster domestic production and support local poultry farmers.

Responding to criticisms against the initiative, Anthony reiterated that anyone who actively opposes poultry farming and animal husbandry is a fool. This stance has redirected public discourse from the programme's execution to the language used by government officials when addressing policy criticism. Additionally, concerns have arisen regarding how beneficiaries have utilized birds distributed under the programme.

In July 2026, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku informed Parliament’s Assurances Committee that some beneficiaries had butchered and consumed the birds rather than raising them for commercial purposes. Opoku explained that some recipients had even shared videos of themselves consuming the birds, contradicting the programme's goal of fostering sustainable poultry enterprises.

The Minister further elaborated that the objective of Nkokonkitikiti was to enable beneficiaries to rear, sell, and reinvest the profits from the birds to expand their poultry operations. This disclosure has contributed to the ongoing debate over the success and sustainability of the programme, including questions about beneficiaries' capacity, market access, and required support.