How businessman dey lose $418,000 goat farm investment sake of 'abomination' for one Ghana community

One young businessman for one community for di Bono region of Ghana don dey race against time say im go remove over 250 goat wey im dey rear sake of taboo for di area.

Semanhyia farms for Senase for di Berekum municipality don dey operate for di past five years under di ‘farming in Africa’ project.

Apart from say im dey use social media educate farmers about best practices wey dem for use to farm, dem dey keep different breeds of goat.

Some be di kalahari, savanna and di boer goat wia di owner of di farm also don dey train oda farmers say make dem sabi livestock farming.

Fredrick Benneh Frimpong, wey be di owner of semanhyia farms and learning center don tok say im invest Ghc 5m ($418k) for di farm for di community afta im japa go learn about am.

For di farm, dem get big land wey get di biggest goat pen for west Africa.

Dem dey use di site also grow “nutritious hay for livestock wia dem dey sell to oda farmers”.

Dem also get oda structures for pigs, poultry and oda learning centers.

But di semanhyia farms wey dey employ plenti pipo now dey face collapse.

Di traditional authorities tok say na taboo to rear goat for dia

According to di traditional council , rearing goat for der na taboo sake of di deity don forbid dis animals.

Na so dem give order sometime for last year say make livestock keepers especially goat, sell dem or move dem out.

Dis order happun for di time dem wan do pre-burial and funeral for di paramount chief wey die for dia in June 2023.

Di local authorities say di order be to preserve custom and tradition wey e also be say e go prevent di community from di wrath of di deity.

Dem give dem two-week ultimatum to remove dia goats

Na so dem give managers of di farm two weeks say make dem remove dia goat from di land.

Oga for di farms, Fredrick Benneh Frimpong don tok say some chiefs for di Berekum municipality don summon dem to remove dia goats.

“Di traditional authorities tok we say na taboo to rear goat here, so make we scatter wanna livestock in two weeks.”

“We don beg dem say make dem give we some time to relocate wana goats but dem refuse,” Frederick tok.

For July 2023, di chiefs for di area don announce say make everibodi for der scatter dia goat.

Na so one day “pipo go work wey dem come back to see say dem slaughter all dia goat.”

According to Fred, na dat community wey im grow up, wia pipo keep goat, dog and oda livestock for dia.

But ibi like di traditional authorities don dey renew di taboo and oda restrictions.

Wetin state dey tok about di mata

Afta di alarm blow, Bono regional minister, Justina Awo Owusu–Banahene and oda agric officers don visit Semanhyia farms.

Di minister tok say im “go try speak to di chiefs about di mata, wit di hope say sometin positive go fit come out.”

Im also tok say na good tin say semanhyia farms don dey use dia facilities to teach oda farmers for di municipality.

“We go organize say make you come teach some of our farmers for here, sake of you sabi dis livestock tin well well.”

But di minister tok say im no make happy say dem dey remove di goats for di area as di chiefs don order.

Di municipal security council also don meet over di mata but dem no fit reach any conclusion sake of di local chiefs no gree for dem.

Apart from di minister, oda pesin for di sector don visit di area to meet wit managers of di farm.

Frederick tok say “na national security pipo, agric ministry rep, and odas for di Berekum municipality all don come wey we meet but so far no result.”

Wetin happun to di goat afta di warning

Afta say dem beg for more time wey di chiefs no gree, managers of di farm don blow alarm for social media say dem dey sell dia goats.

As of 13 January 2024, dem don remove almost all di goat for di village.

Despite say di meeting between di municipal agric officers, regional minister and odas wit di traditional council no carry any result come, Ferederick tok say im no wan fight di chiefs.

“Sake of I no wan get wahala for di system dat be why I dey sell di goats, dat be di only investment I go fit move from dis farm.”

“Di rest of di structures, I fit leave dem wey any pesin im wan to collaborate wit me to use it for oda purpose like to teach farmers, I make happy say I go do am.”

Im also add say “If pesin wan use am as pig farm or plantation serf, I fit work wit di pesin.”

Oga Frederick say for di one special breed of goat im take comot South Africa come for artificial insemination, im go keep dem and use for experiment.

“Dis few goat breed get good trait so I wan take dia semen take give oda goats to see how dem go dey. Dat be how I wan spread dis breed for Ghana and Africa.”

For di future, as di local authorities don dey do dia shakara, Frederick say im wan focus on di research aspect of im farming.

“I wan do more of di learning and research center say I go still teach farmers how to use modern techniques take rear livestock, I go still motivate dem make dem go into dis kind farming, na my passion be dat.”

Wetin pipo tok about di mata

Some pesin sabi say tradition na tradition, odas tok say di chiefs and dia order be backward.

One pesin write for social media say “dis be ridiculous tradition wey don dey drag we backwards.”

Anoda pesin tok am say “we for evolve as pipo na so some of dis traditions for change.”

“Wetin go happun to all di pesin im employ for di farms?” One follower don ask.

“We don dey wit you, you teach we farmers plenti tins wey we dey learn every day, dis na big wahala give we,” anoda one write.

“So di state dey watch make chiefs scatter young pesin im business wey dey benefit plenti pipo?”

Many pipo dey ask!

Wetin dis mean for local investment

Dis mata don wire farmers wey don dey benefit for dis farm and learning center.

Frederick tok say na all im investment wey don dey scatter.

Sabi pipo for dis agric sector say dis move go drive oda investors away from di Senase community.

At a time di goment dey tok say dem wan make pipo come di kontri come invest to benefit di pipo, dis mata na big blow.

Na so chiefs go fit wake up and scatter pipo dia investment.

“For 2023 alone we don invest Ghc 1m ($84k) for dis farm. We plant grass, drill three boreholes wey we introduce breed of goat wey cost $1,500,” Frederick Benneh Frimpong tok.

“We also build one warehouse wit machines, we for find wetin we go do wit all dis investment.”

For di workers like Emmanuel Osei and Francis Dwomoh, dia job don dey at risk as dem don sell di goats.

“Wanna livelihood dey on di line wey ibi sad say goment no intervene wey we don sell our goats.”

Dat be how dis young man, wey jakpa go sabi livestock farming well well, return home say im dey come invest and teach odas, don see im investment vanish.

Na one taboo don scatter everitin, Frederick Frimpong don learn am di hard way!

But na so e for dey?