By: Henrietta Afful and Kwame Bediako
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its research wing—Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI), has launched a three-year initiative to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnuts.
Aflatoxin, a toxic fungal contaminant, affects various foods, including maize, groundnuts, and other dried products. Its presence in food and feed creates serious health, economic, and trade challenges in Ghana, across Africa, and globally, contributing to health issues like liver cancer, stunting in children, and weakened immune systems.
The contamination also undermines food security by damaging crops during processing, storage, and transport, particularly in warm, humid conditions conducive to fungal growth. This results in reduced marketability and significant financial losses for farmers.
To address these challenges, CSIR-STEPRI has launched the “Enhancing Aflatoxin Management in Ghana’s Maize and Groundnuts (EAMMAG)” project. The initiative aims to improve food safety, increase market access, boost incomes for value chain actors, enhance disease detection systems, and improve public health in Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Speaking at the launch of the EAMMAG project in Accra, the Director of Science, Technology & Innovation at Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI), Mr Kwamena Quaison, who spoke on behalf of the Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, highlighted the project’s importance for public health and Ghana’s efforts to achieve sustainable food security and trade.
Mr Kwamena Quaison noted that tackling aflatoxin contamination is not just a public health concern but also a vital step in boosting agricultural competitiveness both nationally and internationally.
Mr Quaison said contaminated crops often fail to meet national and international safety standards, leading to product rejections. For small and medium-scale farmers, many of whom rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, this results in lost income potential.
He highlighted the government’s recognition of the economic and public health losses linked to aflatoxins and hence, adopting a National Policy for Aflatoxin Control in Food and Feed in 2022.
He called for active participation to curb the impact of aflatoxins and reaffirmed government’s commitment to the project. The EAMMAG project, he stated, aligns with Ghana’s broader commitment to enhancing food safety, food security, and the competitiveness of agricultural value chains.
The Director of CSIR-STEPRI, Dr Wilhelmina Quaye, said tackling aflatoxin contamination is crucial for food security, the livestock feed industry, increasing trade volumes and values and impacting rural livelihoods, especially that of women, youth and children.
She said Africa loses $450 million annually due to aflatoxin, which accounts for 38% of global agricultural losses.
Dr Wilhelmina Quaye said the focus of the EAMMAG Project is on adopting innovative technologies to reduce aflatoxin risks, improving food safety and security, boosting agricultural productivity, facilitating trade, and promoting awareness and policy development.
She indicated that the initiative aims to collaborate with governments, the private sector, researchers, farmers, processors, and incorporate gender perspectives for effective implementation.
The Deputy Director of CSIR and and Principal Investigator of the EAMMAG project, Dr. Rose Omari, revealed that a recent study conducted across 10 regions of Ghana found aflatoxins in over 80% of maize and 73% of groundnut samples, with more than half of the maize samples (51%) and a quarter of the groundnut samples (26%) exceeding the country’s maximum permissible limits for aflatoxins.
To combat this, Dr. Rose Omari said the project will work to strengthen the capacity of value chain actors—including farmers, processors, and marketers—in safe and quality maize and groundnut production, processing, and consumption.
Dr. Omari emphasized that public education and awareness creation would be a top priority to increase consumer demand for aflatoxin-safe products, a key component of the project’s success.
Additionally, the EAMMAG project will work with regulatory and extension services to support farmers and food processors in meeting aflatoxin standards and improving market access for their products.
The project, launched in Accra on Thursday, April 3, 2025, brought together stakeholders in the agribusiness industry including government agencies, private businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and civil society organisations (CSOs), food value chain actors and the media.
The Enhancing Aflatoxin Management in Ghana’s Maize and Groundnuts (EAMMAG) project, funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), will be implemented in six regions across Ghana: Upper West, Upper East, Ashanti, Bono East, Oti, and Greater Accra.
Project districts and the commodities of focus
A similar project to be funded by
