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Former President John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has dismissed the widely circulated claims that guinea fowls reared under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) flew to Burkina Faso during his presidency in 2014.
The infamous incident, often referred to as the “akonfem” saga, gained attention when it was alleged that some of the guinea fowls involved in the initiative migrated to Burkina Faso. Addressing the issue during a media interaction in Bolgatanga, Mahama clarified that these allegations were baseless.
Mahama explained that the project was misunderstood by the media and the public. He noted that the initiative was never intended to keep large numbers of guinea fowls in a single location but was instead designed as an incubation process. The day-old chicks were meant to be distributed to farmers for rearing, rather than being kept in one place.
“No guinea fowl flew to Burkina Faso. Guinea fowls are not migratory birds, and the project was not meant for you to see thousands of them in one place,” Mahama stated. He recounted how the misconception arose when someone casually told a journalist that the birds had gone to Burkina Faso and would return during the rainy season, which the media then reported widely without proper verification.
The former president also revealed that there had been a more extensive plan for the project, which included processing mature guinea fowls in a plant and distributing them to market centers across the country. However, the project faced numerous challenges, partly due to media criticism, which contributed to its downfall.
Despite these setbacks, Mahama hinted that the project could be revisited, acknowledging its potential if properly executed.
