The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) inaugurated a new seed inspection laboratory in Tamale, Ghana, on March 31. The facility, known as the Ghana Seed Inspection Unit (GSIU), aims to supply smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana with quality seeds at affordable prices.
The United States Ambassador, Robert F. Jackson, led the inauguration on behalf of the U.S. government. Also present were Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, Minister of Food and Agriculture, and William Boakye-Acheampong, Northern Regional Director of MOFA.
The GSIU is part of MOFA's Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate. Its goal is to increase both the quantity and quality of high-yielding seeds available to rural farmers. Located in Tamale, this unit is one of three seed inspection laboratories built by USAID in collaboration with MOFA. These labs are expected to boost agricultural productivity by improving access to better seeds.
“The labs will help make certified seeds more available so that even farmers in the most remote areas are able to use seeds that bring more bountiful harvests,” said United States Ambassador Robert P. Jackson. “It is up to the Ghana Seed Inspection Unit of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to ensure seeds sold to farmers are true-to-type and high quality. It is important that we all collaborate to ensure Ghana’s seed sector thrives.”
This new laboratory was constructed through USAID’s Agriculture Technology Transfer project under Feed the Future, a U.S. government initiative aimed at reducing poverty and enhancing nutrition among rural populations, particularly women and children.
USAID serves as the leading U.S. agency working towards ending extreme global poverty while promoting resilient democratic societies worldwide. For over 50 years, USAID has supported various initiatives in Ghana focusing on food security, healthcare improvement, education access enhancement, and strengthening local governance.