GIZ presents equipment for certification of organic produce to GSA
The German International Development Cooperation (GIZ) has handed over an essential laboratory equipment to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to support it to establish a certification scheme for organic produce in the country.
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The equipment include a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system, a nitrogen generator, a centrifuge and a complete manifold which will help strengthen the analytical capabilities of the GSA to promote food safety and quality standards in the country.
The donation which formed part of GIZ Invest for Jobs programme was made in Accra yesterday.
The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, private sector companies, people from academia, among others.
Significance
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 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, 10 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.
Appreciation
The Director-General of the GSA, Prof. Alex Dodoo, expressed his gratitude to GIZ for the support, which he said was as a result of the thriving partnership between the two organisations.
The D-G described the support as 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.