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10 Seed Companies Licensed to Produce, Distribute Improved Crop Varieties
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In a move to strengthen Ghana’s seed system and accelerate agricultural innovation, the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR–CRI) has licensed 10 private seed companies to produce and distribute improved crop varieties developed by the Institute.
The initiative, led by Dr. Hillary Mireku Botey, Senior Research Scientist and Intellectual Property Officer at CSIR–CRI, is expected to enhance large-scale production, reduce post-development dormancy of varieties, and support the government’s feeding programme.
“This development will ensure that our varieties no longer sit on shelves unused. We are augmenting the work of private seed companies toward profitability and national impact,” Dr. Botey stated.
The announcement coincides with a five-day follow-up training on Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing of plant varieties held in Kumasi from November 3 to 7, 2025.
Organized through a collaboration between the Ghana Industrial Property Office (GHIPO) of the Registrar-General’s Department, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, and CSIR–CRI, the training builds on the foundational session held in November 2024.
The DUS training is focused on five key crops — rice, cowpea, yam, tomato, and maize — selected as prototypical varieties for testing. Notably, Dr. Botey explained that yam and cowpea were not widely cultivated or standardized globally, and therefore lack existing UPOV test guidelines. This gap has created an opportunity for CSIR–CRI to develop localized testing protocols that will help update and validate existing varieties in Ghana’s system.
Participants were drawn from leading national breeding and research institutions, including CSIR–Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), CSIR–Oil Palm Research Institute (OPRI), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), and the Directorate of Crop Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Dr. Ernest Baafi, Deputy Director of CSIR–CRI, expressed confidence that the training would equip national plant breeders and seed scientists to conduct DUS trials efficiently and effectively, in line with the Plant Variety Protection Act, 2020 (Act 1050) and its accompanying Regulations, 2022 (L.I. 2463).
The sessions were being facilitated by two international experts from Naktuinbouw, the Netherlands — Dr. Wim Sangster and Dr. Lizah van den Engel — alongside Dr. Botey.
The training features interactive, hands-on modules designed to align Ghana’s plant variety testing with international standards under the UPOV Convention.
By Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Construction of a major underground stormwater drain along the Dr. Busia Highway within the Kaneshie enclave will commence on September 7, 2026.
The Project Coordinator for the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo, announced this at a special media briefing on Wednesday.
According to him, the works will involve the construction of a double-cell underground rectangular drain measuring approximately 10 metres wide and 1.95 kilometres long, stretching from Pamprom Junction to First Light Junction.
The new drain will replace the existing two 1.2-metre diameter pipes, which are inadequate to carry the volume of stormwater in the area.
Dr. Sarfo said the drain will connect at one end to the recently completed section within the Accra Academy campus and at the other end to the existing drain at Pamprom Junction.
He said the construction is expected to run from September 2026 to October 2027.
The project forms part of government’s broader flood prevention and mitigation programme aimed at addressing perennial flooding in Accra.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has withdrawn from the party’s National Chairmanship race.
In a statement issued yesterday, Chairman Wontumi who is currently serving a 20-year jail term said his decision was driven by his love for the party and his unwillingness to let his personal circumstances distract the NPP from its rebuilding efforts.
“There are moments in the life of a man when the heart wants to continue, but duty demands sacrifice. Moments when one must quietly set aside personal ambition, not because the dream has died, but because the family he loves must not be made to carry his burden. Today, I find myself at such a painful moment,” he wrote.
He disclosed that after many nights of prayer, sober reflection and consultations with his family, legal team, party elders, campaign team and trusted supporters, he concluded that his present situation must not become an additional burden on the NPP.
“This is not the decision my heart desired, but sometimes, true love requires us to release what we deeply want in order to protect what we love even more,” he added.
Recounting his years of service, Chairman Wontumi said he had served the party with everything within him, walking through heat and rain, travelling to remote communities and standing with the grassroots in both victory and defeat.
“For many years, I have served the NPP with everything within me… The NPP is not merely a political party to me. It is my family. It is my home. It is a cause to which I have dedicated a significant part of my life,” he stated.
He explained that the party, already carrying the pain of electoral defeat and the huge responsibility of preparing for the future, should not be made to carry his personal weight.
“That is why I cannot allow my present situation or personal ambition to distract the party from the difficult work of rebuilding. I cannot ask the party to carry my weight when it is already carrying the pain of defeat and the enormous responsibility of preparing for the battle ahead. I would rather carry this pain quietly than allow the party I love to suffer because of me,” he said.
He further sympathized with his supporters across the 16 regions, acknowledging that the decision would be painful for many who had sacrificed for his campaign.
“To my teeming supporters across all sixteen regions, I know this message will hurt. I know many of you will read it with tears in your eyes because I understand the sacrifices you have made for this journey,” he said.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
