Biotech Updates

Ghana Inspired by Nigeria's Bt Cotton Commercialization

August 15, 2018

"We need a bold move... to help farmers just as Nigeria has done," said Daniel Osei Ofosu, Ghana country coordinator of the Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS) of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Only the most encouraging words were said by the PBS-IFRI Country Coordinator, together with Dr. Richard Ampadu Ameyaw, Ghana coordinator of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), about how Ghana should follow the footsteps of Nigeria in commercializing Bt cotton in the country.

Bt cotton, which was approved in Nigeria in July 2018, has higher yield and can resist bollworms and thus, can decrease pesticide use and the crop's environmental impact. Cotton production in Ghana has struggled for many years, mainly due to poor quality seeds. GMO cotton trials in Ghana have also been suspended in 2016 due to lack of funding.

The stakeholders in Ghana hopes that their country would take a cue from Nigeria regarding Bt cotton commercialization for more jobs and the progress of their textile industry.

For more information, read the article in Cornell Alliance for Science.