GMOs are “neo-colonialist”, security threat to Ghana - Group

Anti-GMO group, Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG), is marching on the streets of Ghana’s national capital Saturday to clamour against the introduction of genetically modified foods in the West African country.

The group says the attempt to shove GMOs down the throat of Ghana and other African countries is neo-colonialist and a national security threat.


“The tools of this new colonialism are Genetically Modified Organisms”, the group’s Deputy Chairman Duke Sagoe warned in a statement.


It argues that GMOs are a trojan horse by which Ghana's and Africa's agriculture, beginning with the entire seed supply, will be held to ransom by the multi-billion dollar industry.


“This is being accomplished around the globe by persuading countries to adopt new laws on intellectual property rights, and creating seed monopolies protected by patents”, the group observed.

It said: “Ghana and the continent of Africa are the target of this new colonial resource grab by Western corporate giants. Through the use of GMOs and seed patents, they seek to control our agriculture”.


According to Food Sovereignty Ghana, “while Africa has long been intransigent in its stance against introducing genetically modified crops, cracks are forming in the opposition, and the world's leading biotechs - DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta among them - are poised to take advantage of the weakening stance and flood the market with seed, fertilizer, and pesticides. With Europe effectively closed off to GM crops, the seed and chemical giants are looking to Africa to be their next growth market” the group warns.


Its members are therefore pouring out on the streets of Ghana’s capital on Saturday to protest against the dumping of GMOs in Ghana and Africa.