President John Dramani Mahama has said Bechem in the Ahafo Region will become Ghana’s chicken hub when the ongoing poultry and meat processing factory is completed.

He made the remarks on Friday, October 9, 2026, during an inspection of the factory under construction in the Tano South Municipality as part of his working visit to the region.

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President Mahama said he was encouraged by the progress of work and expected the facility to be ready for operations next year.

“We came here last year to promise a poultry factory for Bechem. We have come back to inspect the work, and we are encouraged by the progress. By next year, the factory should be ready to operate,” he said.

The President said the factory would make Bechem a major centre for chicken sales and distribution, enabling traders to buy poultry in bulk and transport it to other parts of the country.

“Bechem will become Ghana’s chicken hub. Anyone who wants to buy chicken will come to Bechem,” President Mahama said.

He encouraged residents to take advantage of the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme by investing in cold vans and poultry distribution.

He said traders could buy chicken in bulk from Bechem and transport it to markets in Tamale and other parts of the country.

The President explained that the poultry programme was introduced to ensure a steady supply of birds for the factory when it begins operations.

He said the government aimed to develop the entire poultry value chain, from raising birds to processing and distributing the final products.

President Mahama also highlighted the employment opportunities the project would create for residents.

He said the contractor had already employed about 100 young people from Bechem to work on the factory, adding that more jobs would become available as operations expanded.

He further stressed the need to increase local poultry production, noting that Ghana still relied heavily on imported chicken. The factory is expected to help reduce this dependence by creating a market for birds raised by local farmers.

President Mahama said a reliable supply of poultry would be essential to keeping the factory operational and ensuring that farmers, traders and other businesses benefited from the project.

ANAS/MA

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