GHANA - PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Ghana Private-Public Partnership Program for Food Industry Development (GHPPP) ended in May 2005. This project was:

"A partnership for sustainable development for strengthening Ghana's edge in horticulture; serve as knowledge platform for small-scale producers and suppliers to meet global quality standards"

	Ghana is recognized as a potential regional center for vegetable production due to the wealth of resources at its disposal. It is toward this end that MSU and CARE International selected VEPEAG to undertake seed trials of some improved varieties of hot peppers. If the trials succeed, then this will create a new product for the market, one that Ahold is ready to purchase.

To achieve the goal of linking Ghanaian producers to the global marketplace, PFID—F&V created a unique partnership with a major international food retailer, Royal Ahold. GHPPP was led by PFID—F&V and Ahold in collaboration with major partners: AMEX International, Technoserve, and CARE International. Other organizations involved in horticultural production and the food retailing industry joined the partnership later, including Agribusiness for Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP) and African Project Development Facility (APDF). The GHPPP has acted as a sounding board to address major obstacles to production, tracing within the horticultural sub-sector, and critical issues affecting performance. The goal was to link Ghanaian producers with global distributors by assisting them to meet the safety, quality, environmental and labor standards demanded by consumers in these markets.

The project's activities included:

• Developing logistical chain to achieve products of specified consistency, quality and safety.
• Developing skills and capabilities of all participants in the horticulture supply chain.
• Establishing a Ghanaian NGO with the capability to lead the horticultural industry in sustainable and profitable development.
• Providing technical assistance where needed to entities in all segments of the horticultural supply chain.
• Developing and marketing commercially viable nutritional products for children and pregnant women and other natural products.

GHPPP has been involved in training of all categories of the supply chain. The project's participants received foreign and local training on topics such as: food safety; cold chain and logistics management; international food law, Codex Alimentarius; organic farming; hygiene and safety in food processing factory; processing of high protein foods in a rural setting; and fruit and vegetable handling and marketing. The partnership ended in May 2005.

For more information contact:

PFID—F&V: Peter Achuonjei
Tel: 1-517-432-2214
E–mail: Peter.Achuonjei@scc.msu.edu
USAID Ghana Mission: http://www.usaid.gov/missions/gh/