Tamale, April 01, – The West African Centre for the Protection of Animal Welfare (WACPAW) has called on Ghana to prioritise animal welfare as a key pillar in the national Reset Agenda.
Mr Abdul Rahman Safian, Executive Director of WACPAW, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that any meaningful effort to reset the country’s economy, institutions, and social systems would be incomplete without addressing how animals are treated across the agricultural value chain.
“A society cannot claim to be advancing in development and morality while turning a blind eye to the silent suffering of animals,” he said.
He highlighted that the transportation of animals from farms to markets and slaughterhouses is often marked by overcrowding, lack of food and water, exhaustion, injuries, and sometimes death before arrival. Animals that survive are sometimes beaten, dragged, or confined in tight spaces, reflecting systemic gaps in regulation and education.
Mr Safian noted that humane slaughter practices, including proper stunning, were not consistently applied, causing animals unnecessary suffering in their final moments.
Poor animal welfare, he said, also affects public health and the economy. Stress in animals can release hormones that reduce meat quality, shorten shelf life, and increase contamination risks. Inadequate hygiene during slaughter can facilitate the spread of zoonotic and foodborne diseases.
He stressed that Ghana lacks comprehensive legislation to criminalise animal cruelty across the livestock value chain and urged the government to establish a dedicated institutional body within the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to oversee animal welfare.
Mr Safian also called on Parliament to enact a comprehensive animal welfare law covering cruelty in transportation, handling, housing, and slaughter. He recommended investment in humane infrastructure, including properly designed livestock markets and slaughterhouses with adequate space, water, and equipment.
GHBUSS
01 April 2026
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