Currently, animal protection falls under Section 303(7) of the Ghana Criminal Code, which prohibits cruelty and “unnecessary suffering.” However, what constitutes unnecessary suffering is unspecified with open interpretation. This ambiguity leaves many practices, including animal farming, largely unregulated. Large industrial farms can operate with little oversight, often at the expense of animal welfare and fair competition for smaller farms.

The authors of this report argue that improving animal welfare benefits both animals and people by enhancing food safety, quality, and environmental health. Given Ghana’s limited resources, they recommend prioritizing reforms in poultry and fish farming, where the largest animal populations are found, with 170 million tilapia slaughtered each year and 82 million poultry birds alive at any one time.

Poultry Farming In Ghana

Poultry farming in Ghana is diverse, with operations ranging from small farms housing fewer than 5,000 birds to large-scale farms with over 10,000 birds. Despite some domestic production, 75% of poultry is imported, mainly from the European Union (E.U.), Brazil, and the United States. This influx of low-cost, frozen imports resulted in sharp declines in Ghana’s domestic market share from 60% in 2000 to just 20% by 2011. Unsanitary handling of imported poultry and a lack of adequate refrigeration create public health hazards by exposing workers and consumers to bacteria like E. coli and salmonella.

While some smaller farms allow for free-range environments, large Ghanaian farms are increasingly using battery cages. These cages, phased out in the E.U. but available cheaply as second-hand imports, severely confine farmed birds, restricting movement and natural behaviors. These conditions are not only unethical, but also increase risks of disease transmission by making it difficult to quarantine sick birds.

Another significant problem is biosecurity, especially on smaller farms that rarely use protective equipment. Many farms have inadequate disease prevention practices. For example, wild birds frequently intermingle with farmed birds and farm-gate chicken sales are routine. Outbreaks of diseases like Newcastle and avian influenza are common and highly contagious to both animals and humans.

Fish Farming In Ghana

Similar to other countries in Africa, tilapia farming dominates Ghana’s intensely concentrated aquaculture industry. Around 90% of tilapia production originates from just 101 farms on Lake Volta, where almost all (95%) use monoculture systems. Densely packed, single-species setups like monoculture cage farming amplify the risk of pathogen outbreaks.

Ghanaian tilapia farms tend to lack basic monitoring tools to track important water quality factors such as oxygen levels, temperature, and waste buildup. Poor water quality causes stress in fishes, impairing their growth, reproduction, and disease resistance. Farmers incur significant financial losses due to a reactive rather than proactive approach to managing fish health and disease.

Proposed Reforms For Improved Animal Welfare

As the authors have suggested elsewhere for other African nations, a fundamental recommendation is establishing a formal animal welfare act in Ghana, inspired by successful models in countries like Tanzania. Such legislation would provide clear guidelines for humane practices, set minimum care standards, ban harmful methods, and recognize animal sentience.

The authors make several other recommendations for policy and welfare reforms:

• Poultry welfare: The report advocates for cage-free farming, which would improve bird welfare and bring Ghana in line with international standards. Many Ghanaians actually prefer eggs from cage-free hens, offering a market advantage for local farmers. Improved biosecurity through vaccination programs, training in preventive measures, and raising resilient indigenous poultry breeds could reduce the transmission of zoonotic diseases.
• Fish welfare: Large farms that produce over 100 tonnes of fish annually should adopt water quality monitoring tools as advised by the Environmental Protection Agency. Maintaining proper water quality would reduce fish stress, improve health, and increase productivity. Collaborations with Ghana’s Fisheries Commission could help introduce regular health checks, cleaning routines, and humane harvesting practices, like electric stunning.
• Humane slaughter: Although Ghana has a relatively progressive law requiring pre-slaughter stunning to reduce suffering, it’s rarely enforced. Providing affordable equipment, such as captive bolt stunners, could help slaughterhouses comply. Partnering with the Bureau of Halal Certification could encourage the Muslim community, which makes up a large portion of Ghana, to adopt more humane practices.

While the focus of this report is on poultry and fish farming, these threshold reforms provide a roadmap for expanding animal welfare improvements in Ghana. By prioritizing legislation, biosecurity, humane treatment, and proactive health management, the country can reduce reliance on imports, strengthen its agriculture sector, and position itself as a regional leader in animal welfare.