Food Sovereignty Ghana makes goes to court on January 27

Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) will on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, appear before the Human Rights High Court One of the Republic of Ghana at 9 am.

As first plaintiff/applicant, a motion seeking an interlocutory injunction against the defendants to distribute genetically modified (GM) Cowpea or any such GM seedlings to farmers in any part of the country, for cultivation or for any such agricultural purposes” was filed on 22nd of December 2020 by second plaintiff/applicant Counsel Bright Akwetey.

The five defendants are the National Biosafety Committee, The Ministry of Food & Agriculture, the National Biosafety Authority, The Office of the Attorney General and the Council of Scientific and (Industrial Research (CSIR) respectively.

FSG among other reliefs is praying the court “That the case of the Plaintiffs in the instant suit seeking to determine matters of public awareness, health, damage to the ecosystem, breach of local and international laws and such related matters raised, need the appropriate legal determination before any such approval for GMO activities may be considered in Ghana”

This is an unprecedented development in our judicial annals as it is the first case concerning biotechnology in Ghana and the eventual ruling will have a great implication on future policymaking.