• Dog and cat meat consumers and traders in Bolgatanga have threatened legal action if the government bans the practice.

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• The Institute of Community Sustainability has sued at the Supreme Court, seeking enforcement of laws it says prohibit the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats.

• Traders say the practice is linked to nutrition, traditional rites and livelihoods, with the trade providing income for some youth and women in the Upper East Region.

Consumers and traders of dog and cat meat in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region have threatened to take the government to court if authorities move to ban the consumption of the animals.

Their position follows a legal action filed at the Supreme Court by the Institute of Community Sustainability (ICS) on July 28, 2026, seeking to compel state authorities to enforce laws against the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats.

The ICS is relying on Section 303 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 1998 (Act 554), arguing that the existing law prohibits the practice.

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The case seeks to determine whether Ghana’s current laws already prohibit the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats or whether Parliament needs to introduce specific legislation to that effect.

As reported by 3News, speaking to some dog meat consumers in Bolgatanga, they argued that the practice should not be prohibited.

They said dog and cat meat forms part of their dietary practices and provides nutrients they consider important.

They also warned that they would challenge any attempt by the government to ban the consumption and trade of the animals.

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Bolgatanga is home to a major market for dogs and cats, attracting traders and buyers from different parts of the country.

The market remains active, with live animals sold for different purposes, including consumption and traditional practices.

The trade has also become an economic activity for some residents, particularly young people and women who earn income from selling live animals and roasted meat.

Beyond consumption, dogs and cats are also associated with some traditional practices among the Frafra people.

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The animals are used in certain traditional rites, including ceremonies connected to marriages, funerals and the pouring of libation.

Consumption of dog and cat meat is also practised in other parts of the Upper East Region, including the Kassena Nankana Municipality.

For traders and consumers, the practice is therefore linked not only to food but also to cultural traditions and livelihoods.

The legal action by the ICS could bring greater clarity to the legal status of the practice in Ghana.

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The organisation is asking the Supreme Court to direct state authorities to strictly enforce the laws it says already prohibit the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats.

The court’s determination could therefore have implications for consumers, traders and communities where the practice forms part of traditional and economic activities.

For now, traders and consumers in Bolgatanga maintain that they will resist any attempt to prohibit the practice, including through legal action if necessary.