In this article, Sebastiane Ebatamehi from The African Exponent provides a comprehensive overview of Ghana, currently ranked 10th in poultry production in Africa as of 2025.
As Africa experiences rising populations and increasing urbanization, the demand for affordable protein is escalating. In this context, the poultry industry is emerging as a crucial sector that contributes to food security, employment, and economic growth across the continent.
In Ghana, the demand for broiler meat, eggs, and other poultry products is skyrocketing. However, the local industry is struggling to meet national demands. In 2023, Ghana’s domestic chicken meat production was approximately 50,482 metric tons (mt), with egg production totaling 74,374 mt. This represents a 15% year-on-year increase in egg production, though meat output remains significantly below what is necessary to satisfy demand.
Second-largest Consumer in West Africa
With annual poultry consumption estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 mt, Ghana ranks as the second-largest consumer of poultry in West Africa, following Nigeria.
To address the gap between demand and supply, the Ghanaian government launched multiple initiatives in 2024/2025 aimed at reviving and modernizing the poultry industry. One of the prominent efforts is the Poultry Intensification Scheme under the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), which is partly funded by the World Bank. So far, the scheme has delivered around 360,500 day-old chicks, 911,000 vaccine doses, and over 1.17 million kg of feed, resulting in the production of approximately 400,000 broiler birds within a few months of implementation.
Reducing Dependence on Poultry Imports
In a bid to reduce its reliance on imports, Ghanaian policymakers in mid-2025 committed to replacing at least 25% of frozen chicken imports, equating to about 100,000 mt of poultry meat annually, through increased local production. Meeting this goal would necessitate raising approximately 67 million broiler birds per year, or about 1.28 million birds weekly, where each bird yields around 1.5 kgs of meat post-processing.
Challenges for Poultry Producers
Despite these initiatives, the Ghanaian poultry sector continues to face challenges, much like its neighbors. Key issues include high feed and input costs, outdated hatchery and cold chain infrastructure, and significant competition from cheaper frozen imports from the US, Brazil, and Europe.
Successfully revitalizing the local poultry industry in Ghana could lead to more than just improved national food security—it would create jobs and enhance livelihoods. Furthermore, reducing imports would conserve foreign exchange reserves, improve trade balances, and promote value addition in related industries like feed milling and cold storage.
In our next article, we will shift our focus to Malawi.
This structured article provides an informative overview of Ghana’s poultry industry while maintaining a focus on the challenges and opportunities the sector faces. The HTML is formatted for easy integration into a WordPress environment, ensuring proper readability and presentation.
