By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, May 31, GNA – Donyaepa and the Ghana National Poultry Network Association (GAPNET), two non-governmental organisations have expressed concern over the illegal mass slaughter of donkeys for hide in the country, stressing that the situation is leading to extinction.
They particularly raised the concern that the phenomenon was being perpetuated by some Chinese nationals and supported by some indigenes to illegally slaughter donkeys particularly in Northern Ghana and export to China.
The two organisations made these observations during a stakeholder engagement held in Bolgatanga as part of the Fight Against Donkey Extinction (FADE) Ghana project being implemented by the two organisations in collaboration with Brooke West Africa in Dakar, Senegal.
Dr Roger Adamu Lure Kanton, National Advocacy Officer, FADE Project, who made observations on behalf of the organisations, therefore, called on stakeholders particularly the government and the donkey value chain actors to formulate pragmatic measures to safeguard the donkey race from extinction in the country.
With funding from Brooke Foundation, United Kingdom, the project which is being implemented in the East Mamprusi and West Mamprusi Municipalities in the North East Region, and the Bolgatanga, Kassena-Nankana Municipalities and Bongo District in the Upper East Region, seeks to rally the support of relevant stakeholders to fight against the illegal slaughter of donkeys in Ghana for their hide for export to China.
The engagement was also to seek the support of the stakeholders to close down identified Chinese donkey hide processing centre located at the heart of Bolgatanga.
The engagement brought together the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Police Service, Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Sanitation Unit, Department of Veterinary services, butchers among other actors in the donkey value chain.
Dr Kanton noted that China used to have about 14million donkeys, however, within four years, about 13million donkeys were killed for hide, indicating that the hide is being used to manufacture anti-aging agent and other cosmetic products.
This situation, he said prompted the Chinese government to ban the slaughter of donkeys in the country and it had compelled those engaging in the trade of hide to turn their nets towards Africa, South America, and some parts of Asia.
“In 2014, all the Chief Veterinary doctors of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Abuja and came out with a communiqué to their governments which Ghana is part to ban the mass slaughter of donkeys and just a couple of weeks ago, the African Union in Addis Ababa banned the slaughter of donkey for hide in all 52 African nations”, he said.
Despite all these directives, he lamented that Ghana and other countries such as Nigeria had not taken concrete steps to address the situation and still allowed donkeys from Sahelian countries to be transported into the countries to be slaughtered.
He said apart from engaging relevant stakeholders including the District Assemblies, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Cocoa, and Food among others, through the project, the biggest donkey slaughter house in Ghana located at Walewale where 100 to 150 donkeys were slaughtered daily had been closed down.
Mr Rex Asanga, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, indicated the slaughter of donkeys were not done in the area, however, the packaging and exporting of the hide was what was illegally done in Bolgatanga by some Chinese.
He said the situation was worrying, stressing that the rate at which the donkeys were being slaughtered, could lead to extinction, and noted that the Assembly was working with stakeholders to identify these operation centres and to take action against them.
GNA