Ghana’s agricultural sector has the potential to contribute much more to the country’s overall development in terms of food security, economic growth and poverty reduction than it has actually done so far.

Apart from the need for increased productivity and larger production volumes, the existence of adequate testing facilities is a critical factor. Informed consumers in Europe, the United States and other parts of the world urge their regulatory authorities to set even more stringent health-related standards for food and agricultural products. In order to be more successful on international markets, Ghana’s agricultural producers need improved access to reliable and recognized testing services offered by efficient and market-oriented analytical laboratories.

The current limitations with regard to competent analytical testing of food and agricultural products also affect all consumers in Ghana. The project addresses both the export promotion issues and the consumer related aspects.

The project focus and planned activities are fully in line with the relevant policies of the Ghanaian government, including the Ghana Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II, the Ghana Trade Policy as well as the National Medium Term Private Sector Development Strategy.

OBJECTIVE
The project aims to support the establishment of a consolidated and adequate quality infrastructure to guarantee the quality and safety of food and agricultural products.
Small and medium enterprises in the agricultural and food sectors are among those expected to benefit from the project, as well as associations and individual producers and of course consumers.