FACT-CHECK: President Mahama’s claim that 95% of poultry consumed in Ghana is imported is True

Claim: 95% of poultry consumed in Ghana is imported

Source: President John Dramani Mahama

Verdict: True

Researched by Nusrat Essah

President John Dramani Mahama during his 68th Independence Day celebration address at the Jubilee House, on March 6, 2025, claimed 95% of the poultry consumed in Ghana is imported.

“The Feed Ghana Programme will drive mass food production and stabilise food prices. At the same time, the Poultry Farm-to-Table Initiative (otherwise referred to as nkokor nketenkete program) will boost domestic poultry production and  processing to directly address our 95% reliance on imported poultry products,” he said.

This report will verify the accuracy of this claim.

Fact-check

To verify this claim, GhanaFact referred to the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy as presented to Parliament.

According to the budget, Ghana’s total poultry consumption in 2022 was approximately 324,047 metric tons. Out of this, only 15,000 metric tons constituting 4.6%, were locally produced, with the remaining 95.4%  imported to meet domestic demand.

“Mr. Speaker, the PFJ has a special focus on poultry. This is in recognition of the heavy reliance on imports to meet the demand for poultry. In 2022, total national consumption of poultry was approximately 324,047mt, whereas local production was a relatively meagre 15,000mt (4.6 percent), representing a demand-production imbalance of 95.4 percent,”  the budget stated.

Fig 1: Screenshot from the 2024 Budget Statement

The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAP) is also on record to have affirmed the poultry consumption figures in March 2024.

“Ghana consumes approximately 300,000 metric tonnes of imported poultry meat annually. 5% of this is produced locally with 95% supplemented by imports from the Netherlands, Brazil, USA and other markets at a value of nearly US$400m,” GNAP said in an analysis piece by published AmenAfrica. 

Verdict

The statement from the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy and GNAP support President John Mahama’s claim that Ghana imports 95% of its poultry needs. 

Therefore, the claim is rated true.