Prof. Seidu Al-Hassan with Prof. Ibn Iddriss and others at UDS
The University for Development Studies (UDS) is urging government to invest in research and development to improve the productivity of local guinea fowls, describing the bird as a largely overlooked resource with the potential to support food security and livelihoods across Ghana and Africa.
The university says greater attention must be given to strain development, feeding standards, vaccination schedules specific to guinea fowls, and efforts to break their seasonal breeding habits.
According to UDS, these interventions are necessary to address low productivity and the high mortality rate among keets, which in some cases can reach 100 percent among local farmers.
The call was made during the university’s 23rd Inaugural Lecture, delivered by Professor Ibn Iddriss Abdul Rahman under the theme: “Nature’s Neglected Gift: Reproductive Insights into the Guinea Fowl and the Quest to Feed Africa.”
Prof. Ibn Iddriss said the guinea fowl, domesticated over 2,000 years ago, has the potential to help feed the continent and improve rural livelihoods, but lamented the poor investment climate in the sector.
He noted that much of the existing support for guinea fowl research continues to come from external funding sources, raising concerns about the lack of sustained local commitment to developing the industry.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, Prof. Seidu Al-Hassan, who chaired the event, commended Prof. Ibn Iddriss for his work and called for stronger links between research, business, and policy to help unlock the sector’s full potential.
The lecture renewed calls for Ghana to place greater value on indigenous livestock species as part of efforts to strengthen food production and agricultural resilience.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale