By Prinscilla Bulu
President John Dramani Mahama on Sunday, November 23, 2025 announced plans to set up poultry and livestock farms in Senior high schools. The move aims to boost agricultural training, improve school meals and cut Ghana’s reliance on imported poultry.
Speaking on GTV Breakfast Show on November 24, 2025 Prince Ntiamoah Boampong, Zachariah Tanko Musah and Oscar Provencal welcomed the proposal but urged careful planning.
Prince Ntiamoah Boampong said introducing students early into poultry activities can help build an entrepreneurial mindset.
According to him, many students grew up seeing agriculture as punishment because of how schools handled it in the past.
“When we were in Opoku Ware years ago, if they wanted to punish us, they sent us to the farm. So agriculture became punishment for some of us. We need to change that mindset from thinking agriculture is for uneducated people in villages to helping children see it as a lifelong profession,” he said.
Boampong stressed that leadership must provide strong support systems to make school farms successful.
“If we want poultry farms in schools, what do we need? Should local extension officers work with the schools? Is there a strategy for the birds, for protection, for feeding? These things must be planned,” he explained.
He suggested that the idea should be rolled out gradually.
“It shouldn’t start in all secondary schools at once. We can pick about five schools in every region as pilot projects to test it and learn from the results. Even the troublesome boys can be made leaders to channel their energy positively,” he added.
Also speaking on the show, Private legal practitioner Zachariah Tanko Musah said agriculture used to be a core part of school training, and bringing it back is a good step.
“When I was in school, we had farms on campus. Even as a day school, we had our own plots and a poultry farm where we did practical work,” he recalled.
He warned that Ghana cannot continue depending heavily on imports.
“We must find a way of feeding ourselves. Importing almost everything will not help us. If we do not enter the poultry business, others will come, compete, and push us out,” he said.
Mr. Musah added that school farms could also support school feeding programmes.
“Schools can get supplies from buffer stock and use their own produce for feeding. It prepares students who want to go into agriculture and helps the schools themselves,” he said.
He urged that any return to school farming should be done properly with a full review of the curriculum.
Actor Oscar Provencal also supported the idea, saying it would give students practical agricultural skills and improve their diet.
“Every school should have a farm. This supports the policy to grow the poultry industry and reduce imports,” he said.
Provencal added that the programme could help improve the quality of food students receive.
“Students will get the right kind of protein and vitamins. We have all complained about the quality of food in schools,” he noted.
But he warned that poultry farming is risky and requires strong support.
“It is not as easy as it sounds. You can wake up one morning and find 5,000 or 20,000 birds gone or face bird flu. We don’t want such problems in schools,” he said.
He urged authorities to implement the programme with care and proper safety measures.
All three panelists agreed that school farms can help students learn practical skills, support feeding programmes, and reduce dependence on imports.
However, they stressed that careful planning, expert support, and pilot testing are crucial for the programme to be successful.
