Mahama Denies Guinea Fowls Flew to Burkina Faso in Infamous ‘Akonfem’ Saga
The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has refuted claims that guinea fowls under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) initiative flew to Burkina Faso during his presidency in 2014.
In 2014, the management of SADA made headlines when reports emerged that some guinea fowls under the project had allegedly migrated to neighboring Burkina Faso. However, during a media interaction in Bolgatanga at the end of his tour of the Upper East Region, the former President dismissed these allegations as untrue.
Mahama clarified that contrary to popular belief, the project was not designed to confine the birds in one area. Instead, it was an incubation program where day-old chicks were to be distributed to farmers for rearing.
He criticized the media for widely spreading the story without thoroughly understanding the project’s details. “No guinea fowl flew to Burkina Faso. Guinea fowls are not migratory birds, and the project was not meant to showcase thousands of guinea fowls in one location. The aim was to incubate the eggs and provide day-old chicks to farmers,” he explained.
Mahama also pointed out that a misunderstanding arose when someone asked a watchman about the whereabouts of the guinea fowls, to which the watchman jokingly replied that they had gone to Burkina Faso and would return in the rainy season. This statement was taken out of context and published by the media, leading to the widespread belief that the guinea fowls had flown to Burkina Faso. This, Mahama noted, contributed to the project’s decline.
Additionally, the former president mentioned that there was a comprehensive plan to process mature guinea fowls in a plant and transport them to market centers across the country. “The plan was to process the guinea fowls, buy them from households, and transport them in frozen trucks to the southern markets. Unfortunately, the project encountered challenges, and the media’s criticism, including the claim that the guinea fowls had flown to Burkina Faso, further hindered its progress,” he added.
