The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has expressed his belief in the government’s proposed poultry programme.

Speaking during the vetting of Agriculture Minister-designate, Eric Opoku, Mr Markin described it as a potential solution to the country's high youth unemployment rate.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin noted that, as an entrepreneur, he recognises the pressure the youth unemployment crisis places on the political class and believes the programme could offer a viable solution.

“I heard it from President, Mahma, and for me as an entrepreneur, knowing the pressure from our youth on all of us as a political class, beyond the political rhetoric, I believe that if it [nkoko nketenkete] is implemented, it will help the youth because a lot of them are dejected in this country. They don’t have jobs, and the pressure is on us,” he stated.

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The Nkoko Nketenkete programme, which forms part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto, aims to boost poultry production and create jobs for the youth through enhanced support for poultry farmers, affordable feed production, and expanded veterinary services.

Meanwhile, Mr Opoku has indicated that the initiatives would build on existing programmes.

“This is not a new programme; it is an ongoing initiative that we intend to improve. For instance, in the 2020 budget, the government outlined certain measures, but we will go further by adding credit facilities and deploying more veterinary services to achieve tangible results,” he explained.