Expected to be completed and operationalised by April 2027, President John Dramani Mahama has commended progress on construction of Poultry, Meat and Feed Processing Plant at Bechem in the Ahafo Region as part of his Resetting Ghana tour.
He cut the sod for the project about a year ago and was told it had reached about 50 per cent.
“When you award a contract to someone for a project like this, there is a need to monitor it and inspect it from time to time.
So, this visit is to monitor the progress of the factory.
As I came, I have seen that they are about 50 per cent into it, and I must commend Architecture and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), the consultants for the project,” President Mahama stated.
While encouraging the youth to invest in poultry farming, the President is confident Bechem will become the capital of poultry products in Ghana when the factory is completed and operating at full capacity.
“When this factory is completed, Bechem will become the chicken capital of Ghana, and so I encourage all the youth in and around Bechem to take up poultry farming, take advantage of the Feed Ghana programme.”
“Along the poultry value chain, the youth could even buy processed chicken from the factory for sale in other parts of the country,” he added.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku while briefing the President said “work is around 50 per cent, and we don’t have any certificate that has not been paid. Even though we encountered some delays, now everything is paid.”
According to him, the contractor gave the assurance that by the close of the first quarter of 2027, the project would be completed and operationalised.
Mr Opoku said the plant would have two processing lines, including one for layers with a combined capacity of 6,000 eggs per hour.
He further revealed that the factory would require a constant supply of chickens to keep running for 24 hours. The facility will have contractual agreements with farmers across the Ashanti, Bono, Upper East and other regions for the off-taking and processing of their produce for the market.
Mr Opoku said the processing plant would also provide cold storage for the farmers.
Poultry Production Increases To 22%
Touting the gains of the ‘Nkokɔ Nketenkete’ programme, the Agric Minister disclosed that the country’s domestic poultry production had increased from 4.7 per cent, which the government inherited, to 22 per cent as of May 2026, describing the feat as unprecedented in the history of the country.
“This has never happened in the history of our country,” he said, adding that the programme had also resulted in a sustained glut of eggs in the country for almost one year.
“We want to ensure sustainability of the programme, which is making a significant impact in the poultry sector of our country,” Mr Opoku said.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture recounted that following a directive by the President, he and the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry travelled to Burkina Faso for negotiations to export Ghana’s eggs, and upon the conclusion of talks, over 20 trucks of eggs that had been stranded at the borders were allowed entry.
“Since then, Ghana has been exporting eggs to Burkina Faso.
But that is insufficient to clear the glut that we are witnessing now. We are now going to implement the directive that you issued to us that we should add eggs to the School Feeding Programme for all schools under the programme.
We are working with the Minister of Education for implementation,” he stated.
Mr Opoku stated that the evidence of the egg glut was visible on the streets, with sellers offering two eggs for GH¢5.
Sustaining The Project
The Minister of Food and Agriculture further disclosed that the Bechem facility has a feed production component, with the shells from the processing lines to be used in feed production, as well as a hatchery to produce day-old chicks for distribution to farmers to sustain the programme.
Besides, Mr Opoku stated that the facility will be managed by a private institution as directed by the President while two trucks were being procured under the contract for the distribution of packaged and branded broilers to the market.
