Dog meat is the new delicacy in town, according to investigations discreetly conducted round the county the last few weeks. Our studies further revealed that the delicacy, which a few decades ago, was not popular in typical urban centres in Ghana in the South, has today gained wide acceptance among the nation’s over 20 million people, particularly the productive youthful population, including our unemployed youth, fishermen and land guards in indigenous Accra.

Soldiers in the barracks, who man the nation’s gates on land in the sea and in the air are also major players in this developing industry, according to our research. The trend is raising concerns not only about markets, the industry and employment generation, but also funding and monitoring.The hitherto rare delicacy, popular then among the Kassena-Nankana and other communities in the largely Christian North and others in the Eastern region is now relished in parts of our fishing communities in Accra, with La, Teshie, Chorkor and James Town, key among the consuming class. Ashaiman and Nima are also typical areas where the delicacy is a norm. From some nooks and crannies in Teshie through La. Chorkor and indigenes Accra Central, exclusive joints are popping up where the meat is served in hot pepper and sauce – at rates that meet the pockets of customers.

Particularly during weekends, in the fishing communities and Accra’s turbulent communities like Bukom, James Town and Ashaiman, young men spend their weekends bingeing on the hot delicacy spiced with pepper and ginger. Whether smoked, roasted or sauced, it is taken usually with gari or hot kenkey over tots of local gin (akpeteshie), keba shoo, alomo gin bitters, ginseng liquor, mandingo, rosso rosso and other alcoholic beverages mixed for addictive purposes. In an exclusive outdooring parties in James Town and Bukom, too, the delicacy finds expression on the tables of boys-boys clubs and their teenage girl toys. The Statesman’s treks through some of these communities in the last several weeks also gave credence to the need to bring the matter into the open to ensure that there are not abuses in the industry.

For example, at the Chorkor fishing beach, it took some prodding for The Statesman to get butchers, connoisseurs and breeders to open up to speak uninhibitedly on the matter. Nii, a skilled butcher, who complained about the cudgel-and-pestle mauling of the animal to numb it before it is opened up dressed, described it as the greatest delicacy he has ever changed upon since his birth. Nii is a fisherman of all sorts, but earns some money botching and dressing dogs for dealers who come to him for his service to enable them meet demands for the khebabs or sauce market. “Yea, I love the delicacy. It is rich, affordable and appetizing. It gives me enough strength and energy for my difficult endeavours as a fisherman”. He believes the greatness of the dog as delicacy is a story yet to be told.

Apart from the uniqueness of the meat as a delicacy, Nii also intimated that he gets spiritual nourishment from the meat. “It gives me some sort of spiritual energy too. Before I began taking the delicacy, I suffered attacks in my dream. I found myself in my dreams being perpetually chased. Today, insha Allah, I am now the predator instead of the hunted. I no longer wake up battered and bruised spiritually. I chase my enemies now…”

Reacting to the development, Cecilia Ankrah, a senior official of the Dietherapy Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, said it is the democratic right of the consumer since frogs, snakes and lizards, for instance, are consumed by certain communities and nations. She would, however urge the appropriate authorities to monitor the industry to avoid health risks. “Eggs, fish and animals provide us with a rich source of protein, so I don’t believe there can be any legislation against it. However, because rabies is a particularly dangerous dog disease and infectious, there is the compelling need to monitor the industry.