VZCZCXYZ0011
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAR #0058/01 0200727
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200727Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8802
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0842
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 1844
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC 0115

UNCLAS ACCRA 000058 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W AND EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT - MARCELA SYMANSKI AND JACK 
BOBO 
USDA FOR FAS/OSTA/ED PORTER AND FARAH NAIM 
USAID FOR EGAT/ESP - ROB BETRAM AND JOSETTE LEWIS 
LAGOS FOR AGRICULTURAL ATTACHE ALI ABDI 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR TBIO SENV EAID ECON GH
SUBJECT: PROPOSAL FOR U.S. BIOTECH SPEAKER TO VISIT GHANA IN FY 
2010 
 
REFS:  A. 09 STATE 122732 
  ¶B. 09 ABUJA 1682 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  Embassy Accra requests $13,700 in FY 2010 EEB biotech 
outreach funds for a U.S. biotechnology expert in agricultural 
production and development to visit Ghana for one week to engage 
with government officials and legislators, academics, public 
audiences, and the media on the merits of biotechnology and the 
importance of regulating biotech products.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Per Ref A request, Embassy Accra requests $13,700 in FY 2010 EEB 
biotech outreach funds in order to fund a one-week public speaking 
visit to Ghana of a U.S. expert on agricultural biotechnology. 
 
--------------------------- 
Biotech Background in Ghana 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. Ghana has not yet adopted comprehensive legislation regulating 
the production and sale of biotech products.  The Government of 
Ghana is currently considering a draft Biosafety Bill that was 
prepared with international technical assistance (including from 
USAID), but the draft legislation has not yet been submitted to the 
Parliament.  In May 2008, the Parliament did pass a Biosafety 
Legislative Instrument, which allows for field trials of biotech 
products, but not their commercialization.  The Legislative 
Instrument thus allows for scientific advancement in Ghana while the 
executive and legislative branches of government continue to 
consider the merits of a comprehensive biosafety law. 
 
¶4. Public opinion on biotechnology is divided, with some editorials 
questioning the wisdom and safety of genetically engineered crops. 
Other observers have argued that the higher crop yields and the 
greater resistance to pests associated with genetically modified 
seeds could help Ghana more effectively deal with issues of food 
security and the likely impact on farming from climate change. 
 
¶5. While public opinion remains divided, some biotech products are 
already being sold in Ghana.  In addition, genetically modified 
cotton and other crops, which are grown in Burkina Faso (Ghana's 
northern neighbor), may already be growing in Northern Ghana, or 
these seeds will soon migrate to and be grown in that region of the 
country.  While current law allows for field trials of biotech 
crops, no experimental fields are currently under cultivation, as 
far as we are aware, though some U.S. companies have begun the 
procsses of requesting permission to engage in such trials in 
country. 
 
¶6. U.S. food exports to Ghana, valued at $86 million in 2008, 
consist primarily of rice, poultry and consumer products.  Ghana is 
the largest commercial market for U.S. rice in West Africa, with 
U.S. producers maintaining about a third of the Ghanaian rice market 
over the last several years. 
 
----------------------- 
Biotech Speaker Program 
----------------------- 
 
¶7. Given that the current biotech state of play in Ghana is similar 
to that in Nigeria, where a U.S. biotech speaker was successfully 
programmed in FY 2009 (Ref B), we believe that a U.S. biotechnology 
expert could meaningfully engage with government officials and 
legislators, academics, public audiencies, and the media about the 
merits of agricultural biotechnology.  We anticipate that a U.S. 
expert could visit for one week and engage with Ghanaian audiences 
in Accra (two days), Kumasi (two days) and Tamale (one day), which 
are located in key growing regions. 
 
¶8. We would work with Ghana's National Biosafety Committee to 
program the U.S. expert speaker, as well as with other local expert 
groups in Ghana, including biotechnology experts at the Forum for 
Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), which is based in Accra, and 
at Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). 
In Accra, the speaker could engage with executive and legislative 
branch officials on the merits of biotechnology.  In addition, the 
visit could include local radio and TV interviews, and a media 
roundtable event at which journalists could interact with the U.S. 
expert.  Media events may also include local Ghanaian agricultural 
specialists, in order to encourage a healthy debate on the subject 
of biotechnology and how advanced science could help Ghana more 
effectively deal with issues of food security and the likely impact 
on farming from climate change.  The visit may also include an 
embassy-hosted event at which government and legislative 
decision-makers could interact with biotechnology and agricultural 
 
experts.  There could also be public speaking events at FARA, CSIR, 
the University of Ghana in Accra, the Kwami Nkrumah University of 
Science & Technology in Kumasi, and the University for Development 
Studies in Tamale. 
 
¶9. We anticipate the total cost of a one-week visit would be 
$13,700, as follows: 
 
$7,000:  Travel, lodging and per diem for U.S. Speaker 
 
$1,000:  Travel, lodging and per diem for one embassy officer to 
join U.S. speaker in Kumasi and Tamale 
 
$1,600:  Fuel for embassy motorpool vehicle, lodging and per diem 
for embassy driver in Kumasi and Tamale 
 
$1,000:  Honoraria for U.S. speaker 
 
$1,000:  Travel, lodging and per diem for one Ghanaian biotechnology 
and agricultural specialist to participate in events in Kumasi and 
Tamale 
 
$1,500:  Expenses for hall rentals, refreshments and meals at U.S. 
speaker's events 
 
$600:  Honoraria for Ghanaian specialists at events 
 
Embassy points of contact for this proposal are Regional 
Environment, Science and Technology Officer Aaron Fishman 
(fishmanad@state.gov), Agricultural Attache Ali Abdi (based in 
Lagos; ali.abdi@fas.usda.gov), and USAID Ghana Agricultural Adviser 
John Mullenax (jmullenax@usaid.gov). 
 
FURUTA-TOY