New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful Bryan Acheampong has claimed that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s Nkokor Nkintikiti programme was originally conceived and initiated by the NPP as part of a broader poultry intensification strategy.

According to Mr Acheampong, several of the agricultural interventions the NDC now intends to implement were already captured under the erstwhile NPP government’s Planting for Food and Jobs Phase Two initiative.

“If you look at the 2025/2026 budget of the NDC, the majority of the programmes they are running now can be found in the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase Two document. The targeted crops, including poultry, are the same ten crops we outlined. The targets are almost identical, and even the irrigation infrastructure featured in the budget includes projects I initiated and commissioned. It is not a bad thing, but the foundation was laid under the NPP,” he said.

Mr Acheampong explained that what the NDC now calls Nkokor Nkintikiti was developed by the NPP as a poultry intensification programme aimed at boosting domestic production, reducing poultry imports, and strengthening food security.

“We had projected the number of birds required over five years to significantly cut poultry imports and meet domestic demand,” he added.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, and later repeated on The Pulse on Tuesday, December 23, Mr Acheampong argued that the objectives of the Nkoko Nkintikiti programme align closely with long-standing NPP agricultural policy.

He said his decision to seek the NPP’s presidential candidacy is driven by a desire to build on these policy foundations and contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s development.

Mr Acheampong, who served as Minister for Agriculture under the erstwhile NPP government, added that returning the party to power would allow it to fully implement and scale up initiatives already begun in the agriculture sector and beyond. He said he believes he is best placed to lead the NPP into the 2028 general elections.