The Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly has recorded a 40% mortality rate in the first batch of birds supplied under the government’s Akoko Nkitikiti flagship poultry programme, with 4,000 out of the 10,000 birds dying upon arrival.
The Municipal Chief Executive for EKMA, Hon. Abdul Majeed Dokorugu, disclosed this in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the maiden meeting of the Western Regional Coordinating Council in Sekondi.
Nkoko Nkitinkiti is a flagship poultry revitalisation programme launched by the government to boost local poultry production, reduce reliance on imported frozen chicken, and create jobs. The initiative distributes birds, feed, and supplies to households and selected commercial farmers across the country.
According to him, the assembly’s initial allocation under the programme consisted of 10,000 birds, with another 10,000 expected to be delivered in the coming weeks.
“Out of the first 10,000 birds allocated to the municipality, about 4,000 were dead on arrival. That represents a 40% loss from the initial consignment,” Hon. Dokorugu revealed.
Despite the setback, the MCE said the remaining birds are healthy and continue to thrive, stressing that no additional deaths have been recorded since they were received.
“The birds that survived are doing well, and we have not recorded any further mortality. We are also expecting another batch of 10,000 birds to continue with the implementation of the programme,” he said.
Hon. Dokorugu further disclosed that investigations had been conducted to establish the cause of the unusually high mortality recorded in the first consignment.
He, however, did not disclose the outcome of the investigations during the interview.
The Akoko Nkitikiti initiative forms part of the government’s efforts to boost local poultry production, strengthen food security, create employment opportunities, and reduce the country’s dependence on imported poultry products.
The EKMA MCE expressed optimism that lessons from the first delivery would help ensure a smoother rollout of subsequent consignments and improve the programme’s impact within the municipality.
