GIZ and GSA commission organic food testing equipment

The German International Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) have commissioned a Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS), an organic food testing equipment.

The move will allow the Ghana Standards Authority to establish an organic certification and Global Gap certification scheme.

This Scheme will aim to assess farms to established requirements for organic farming and Global GAP certification requirements to breach the gap for our local producers and make them competitive in the international markets.

This is also to reduce trade barriers in relation to applicable standards for the country’s Agro-base produce.

The equipment, which include a nitrogen generator, a centrifuge and a complete manifold, will help GSA to improve the quality output for its numerous diagnostic analyses for agricultural products, including the determination of cells, amino acids, vitamins, metals, proteins, cancer biomarkers, drug monitoring, pesticide residue analysis, among others.

This collaboration between GIZ and GSA to commission (LCMS) for organic food testing is a significant step towards enhancing the quality and accuracy of diagnostic analyses in agricultural products.

The equipment will not only improve the determination of various components like cells, amino acids, and vitamins but also strengthen capabilities in detecting cancer biomarkers, monitoring drug residues, and analyzing pesticide levels. It’s a commendable effort towards ensuring food safety and quality standard.

The donation was under the GIZ Invest for Jobs programme through the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) under
the framework of the Special Initiative "Decent Work for a Just Transition."

Mr John C. Duti, Team Leader, Invest for Jobs, GIZ said, "The commissioning of the equipment will revolutionize agricultural products standards in Ghana and unlock the potential of having SMEs to expand their markets outside Ghana.
The aim is that when SMEs expand, they are then able to employ more."

He said the support was to enable the GSA to live up to its mission of upholding quality standards and promotion of regulatory compliance.

"Analytical capabilities are integral in ensuring the safety and reliability of agricultural products and services," he added.

The team leader said over 100 agribusiness SMEs would benefit from the use of the testing equipment and the certification services.

Mr Duti said as part of the initiative, GSA employees would be trained in organic and global (GAP) programmes as scheme managers and auditors to allow GSA provide certification services at a reasonable rate, considering the high cost of international certification in the market.

The Team Leader of Invest for Jobs, John Duti, said the support was to enable the GSA to live up to its mission of upholding quality standards and promotion of regulatory compliance.

"Analytical capabilities are integral in ensuring the safety and reliability of agricultural products and services," he added.

The Director-General of the GSA, Prof. Alex Dodoo, lauded the GIZ for the support, which he said was because of the thriving partnership between the two organisations.

Professor Dodoo said the support was timely, considering the growing demand for high-quality food products by consumers and for the export market.

Prof. Dodoo further said that the intervention aligned with the broader commitment of GIZ to advance the sustainable development goals which include food security, just transition, trade facilitation, public health and economic growth.

Representatives from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, private sector companies, people from academia, among others attended the commissioning ceremony.