Local, international institutions to use Ghana’s gene bank

Accra Aug. 12, GNA- Some 12 local and international institutions from 2019 to date have

obtained permission from Ghana’s Gene Bank to use the country’s genetic resourcessoil,

plants and animals to conduct research.

Educational institutions use genetic resources for research while industrial companies

such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, make cosmetic, personal care, fragrance, food

and beverage products from it.

The bank, which is under the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute of the Council

for ScientiRc Industrial Research (CSIR-PGRRI), near Bunso, Eastern Region, is focused

on the conservation of the country’s genetics resources.

The Gene bank’s establishment is in line with laws of the UN Convention on Biodiversity

that requires countries like Ghana to take legislative and administrative measures, to

share in a fair and equitable way the results of research and development, and the

beneRts arising from the commercialisation and other utilistion of genetic resources.

Dr Daniel Kotey, the Director of CSIR-PGRRI, speaking at a workshop on the protocol in

Accra, said two applications were pending while about 10 others were yet to complete

the processes.

The day’s event organised by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and

Innovation (MESTI), with support from UNEP under the Enforcing Environmental Treaties in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries-ACP-MEAs III Poject

Dr Kotey called for support to enable CSIR-PGRRI create more awareness, develop

standards on material transfer agreement, mutually agreed terms, and prior informed

consent to enable the country get its fair or equitable share of beneRts derived from the

use of the country’s genetic resources by foreign institutions and individuals.

He said although Ghana had ratiRed the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic

Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of BeneRts Arising from their Utilisation to

the Convention on Biological Diversity, the country was yet to enjoy the beneRts fully.

“Prior to the establishment of the gene bank it is believed that people have proRted

hugely from genetic materials of Ghana without paying anything and this initiative is to

help the country address it so we are hoping to reap the beneRts soon,” he said.

The Director urged the government to quicken the legislation being developed and other

activities to enable the country to generate another revenue stream for development.

Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, the Minister for MESTI, said providing the users with international

access to genetic resources for use in research and development, including

commercialisation, and sharing the beneRts of such utilisation had the potential to be

beneRcial to social and economic development.

“At the same time, it offers both a concrete example for valuing biodiversity and its

ecosystem services in practice and an economic tool to take proper account of this

value. This again is a prerequisite for conservation and sustainable use,” he said.

Dr Afriyie said there was the need to create awareness and build the capacity of key

stakeholders on the provisions of the Nagoya Protocol and to introduce the Focal Point

and Competent National Authorities to ensure that the biological resources of the

country did not get out for various uses without due recourse to laid down procedures.

Professor Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, the Chairman of the National Biodiversity Steering

Committee, said the country needed digital sequence information, like a chemical library,

where all the DNA would be assembled for sale.

“If you just have a scan of all the genetic resources that this country has, you can just

think about what kind of things actually are making Ghana so that we can take bold

decisions; we can take all of these resources and reap the beneRts due our country,” he

said.

Mr Peter Dery, the Director of Environment at MESTI, said the government would take

steps to catalogue all protocols the country had ratiRed so it could localise some of

them to enable the country to derive maximum benets from them.

GNA