The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), in partnership with the German Development Cooperation, has officially unveiled a national organic certification scheme and rigorous testing regime for organic produce.
Launched under the theme “Advancing Sustainable Agriculture through Credible Organic Certification,” the initiative is engineered to aggressively expand global market access, enforce strict compliance with international benchmarks, and promote ecological farming across the regional value chain.
The certification framework enters a booming global sector that was valued at over $220 billion in 2024 and is structurally projected to eclipse $380 billion by 2030.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented via the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the new GSA scheme is built directly upon ISO/IEC 17065 standards.
Crucially, the protocol aligns with the stringent European Union Organic Regulation 2018/848, opening a direct corridor to Europe, which commands more than a third of total global organic consumption.
The operational scope of the framework encompasses critical commodities defining Ghana’s agricultural export identity, including staple crops, horticultural products, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Speaking at the launch event in Accra, the Director-General of the GSA, Professor George Agyei, stated that under the rules of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Ghana is uniquely positioned to become the premier organic verification hub for the entire West African subregion.
Backed by the Standards Authority Act 2022 (Act 1078), the GSA aims to certify farmers and processors from neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, providing them with quality credentials accepted in major economic capitals like London, Brussels, and Tokyo.
The localised framework directly addresses severe operational hurdles that have historically plagued domestic agribusinesses.
Ms Eunice Agyeiwah Agyepong, Component Head of Invest for Jobs at GIZ Ghana, highlighted that the state-backed scheme will drastically slash certification costs for local enterprises, which previously spent scarce foreign exchange to fly in foreign compliance inspectors.
Furthermore, Mr Daniel Sowah, Assistant Industrial Officer at the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, noted that the integrated testing regime will decisively eliminate pesticide residue contamination, effectively removing a technical bottleneck that has previously triggered embarrassing export rejections in overseas markets.
Source: Access Agric
Image Credit: Ghana Standard Authority
