The Acting Director and Head of Pesticides at the Environmental Protection Agency, Joseph Edmund has advised the public to patronize the services of only licensed pest controllers for fumigating purposes.
He said for an individual or institution to carry out pesticide spraying, they must undergo training and be certified by EPA.
Mr Edmund made this known at a workshop for commercial pest controllers in Accra.
The misuse of pesticides can be detrimental to the environment and human being. It is in line with this that the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency Act, has a number of measures to ensure appropriate storage and use of pesticides.
One of such is a periodic training programme organized by the EPA. For this workshop, the focus was to educate participants on the enforcement of relevant laws to regulate activities of those who deal in pest control.
Speaking at the workshop, the Acting Deputy Director and Head of Pesticides Unit at the EPA, Joseph Edmund cautioned the public against employing uncertified people to fumigate their homes, offices and other places.
Mr Edmund said the EPA does not licence people to sell pesticides on the streets, stressing that the public should purchase such chemicals from licensed dealers only.
The training course will run for three days. Participants will be taken through pesticide poisoning first aid and treatment and overview of the legal framework for the management of pesticides.
