Mahama Says No Guinea Fowl Flew To Burkina Faso, Blames Media For Misreporting
- Former President John Dramani Mahama has debunked claims that guinea fowl reared under the SADA programme flew to Burkina Faso
- He said the claim that the guinea fowl flew to Burkina Faso was a misreporting which was spread by the media
- He explained the programme was meant to distribute hatchlings to local farmers and not rear guinea fowl to maturity
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has debunked claims that guinea fowl reared under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) escaped to Burkina Faso during his erstwhile administration in 2014.
He was debunking media reports from 2014 that alleged that the guinea fowl, which were being reared to help support farmers in the northern sector of Ghana, had migrated to neighbouring Burkina Faso.
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According to him, the allegations which had run rampant then were all false.
John Mahama explained that the misunderstanding was due to a lack of understanding of the guinea fowl project.
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Addressing the media in Bolgatanga on the final leg of his tour of the Upper East Region, he explained that popular belief that the government would rear the birds to full maturity in an enclosed area was not factual.
He said the plan was actually to incubate the guinea fowl eggs till they were hatched, and then the day-old chicks would be distributed to local farmers to rear to maturity.
Mahama said the Burkina Faso storyline emerged from a watchman at the site who had erroneously told a reporter that the birds had gone there and would return during the rainy season.
The former president blamed the media for failing to do the necessary checks before running with the story and spreading misinformation.
He stated that guinea fowl were not migratory birds and could not have flown to Burkina Faso.
He said the misinformation had led to the quick demise of the government project.
According to Citinewsroom, he is, however, hopeful that a future Mahama-led government will resuscitate the project to improve the livelihoods of locals in the northern sector.
He disclosed that the initial plan included establishing a guinea fowl processing plant to process the mature birds and transport them to markets nationwide.
“Unfortunately, the project ran into issues. The media criticised it, and they came and said the guinea fowls had flown to Burkina Faso,” he said.
Mahama backs calls for creation of new region
Earlier, the 2024 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, supported calls for creating a new region in Ghana’s northern sector.
He said calls for the Bawku area to be carved out of the Upper East Region as a standalone region are justified.
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Addressing the Bawku Naba at his palace on Saturday, August 3, 2024, he said while constitutional challenges must be addressed for such a proposal to be implemented, the reasons presented for the region’s creation are valid.
Mahama says Ghana experiencing worst economic crisis
YEN.com.gh reported that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, says the country is experiencing its worst economic crisis.
He said while the situation during his presidency was not the best, it was far better than what Ghanaians are experiencing under Akufo-Addo.
He urged Ghanaians to vote for him in the upcoming elections to turn the economy around for the better.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copyeditor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
