The dog and cat meat trade in GHANA (Africa):

Dog and cat meat are considered a delicacy in Ghana.   (BBC News, 2021, Meet de people from Ghana who dey eat cats and dogs)

The dog meat trade is very active in Ghana.  Dogs are a popular pet in Ghana and most families have them.  Dog meat suppliers purchase dogs from their owners, and then sell the dogs to meat processors.  Thousands of dogs are killed each year in the upper east region of Ghana, which adversely affects the dog population.  (Suuk, 2021, Dog Meat Sales Boom in Ghana)  Dog meat is very popular in both the northern and eastern region of Ghana.  Fresh dog meat and live dogs, who are slaughtered right then and there once they are purchased, are sold at the Bolga Dog Meat Market in northeastern Ghana.  The Frafra and Dagaaba ethnic groups in northern Ghana participate in tribal games where a dog is slaughtered and the victor wins the head of the dog.  Dog meat is also eaten at wedding ceremonies in Ghana.  (BBC News, 2021, Meet de people from Ghana who dey eat cats and dogs)  The upper northeastern region of Ghana, where many dogs are killed for their meat, borders Burkina Faso and Togo.  Burkina Faso and Togo are also involved in the dog meat trade.

People in the Volta region in the southeastern part of Ghana are well-known for consuming cat meat.  Most of these people raise cats for their meat.  Cat meat can also be purchased from women street vendors who prepare the cat meat in a soup.  (BBC News, 2021, Meet de people from Ghana who dey eat cats and dogs)

Chapter 9, Section 303, Cruelty to Animals, of the Ghana Criminal Code of 1960 prohibits the ill treatment, torture, and unnecessary suffering of animals.  (Ghana Justice, 2022, Ghana Criminal Code of 1960, Chapter 9, Section 303, Cruelty to Animals)

Ghana is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs.  (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies)  Ghana suffers from a rabies epidemic, and because dogs are seldom vaccinated in Ghana, veterinarians are concerned about the transmission and spread of rabies.  (Suuk, 2021, Dog Meat Sales Boom in Ghana)  Health activists and doctors in Ghana warn people of the risk of contracting rabies from eating dog meat, as well as tuberculosis from eating dog and cat meat.  (BBC News, 2021, Meet de people from Ghana who dey eat cats and dogs)

Please see the bibliography page for the citations given on this page.