Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Blay Armah Nyameke, has called on constituents to set aside party politics and take advantage of the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme, saying it could help create jobs and build a stronger local poultry sector.
The appeal came as more than 9,000 breeder birds were distributed to constituents through the initiative. Mr Nyameke said the programme should not be regarded simply as short-term assistance, but as the beginning of a wider plan to develop poultry production into a commercially sustainable industry.
He said the government’s immediate aim was to assess and increase demand for locally produced chicken, while helping beneficiaries move from small-scale household production to viable businesses.
“This is more of a startup programme. It is more of the government’s desire to evaluate how people will patronise home-grown chicken. The grand plan is to scale this programme up and into a commercial venture.”
Mr Nyameke said five people had already shown an interest in expanding beyond the initial beneficiary stage. They have been registered to pursue poultry farming commercially, with work under way to help them put the necessary structures in place as the scheme develops.
He added that the long-term prospects of those businesses would depend largely on whether consumers were willing to buy locally produced poultry in sufficient numbers.
“This is a long-term vision to gradually reduce importation of birds,” he said, adding that the initiative could “blossom” into a viable economic enterprise if public interest was built and maintained.
The Sekondi MP also warned that political perceptions could discourage some residents from participating in government programmes. He said viewing public interventions through a partisan lens risked depriving people of opportunities that could significantly improve their livelihoods.
“Sadly, everything in this country is viewed with a political lens, which denies many some of these glorious business opportunities.”
Mr Nyameke suggested that some eligible residents in Sekondi may have chosen not to take part because they feared being labelled or politically stigmatised.
He stressed that Nkoko Nkitinkiti was not designed exclusively for supporters of the governing party. Instead, he described it as a public initiative intended to support the development of Sekondi and Ghana more broadly.
“It is neither NDC nor NPP, but for the development of Sekondi,” he said, urging constituents to participate regardless of their political affiliation.
The MP said he wanted supporters of his party, non-partisan residents and people aligned with other political groups all to have an equal chance of benefiting from the programme.
“Once it is a government initiative, it should be possible for everyone to enjoy, once you are a constituent. So, for me, I believe that as well as our party people, others must also benefit. What about the so-called neutrals? So, everyone must get involved,” he said.
He also called for that inclusive approach to remain in place when governments change. Public programmes, he said, should not be turned into partisan tools whenever political power passes from one party to another.
Mr Nyameke urged residents to judge government initiatives by their potential developmental impact, rather than by the political party responsible for introducing them.
The distribution of the breeder birds forms part of efforts under Nkoko Nkitinkiti to encourage poultry production, create livelihood opportunities and gradually reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported chicken.
By Eric Yaw Adjei
