Ghana receives RSPO certification for palm oil sector
Ghana’s palm oil sector has received certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
The RSPO is a non-profit international multi-stakeholder organization that promotes the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through co-operation with the supply chain and open dialogue among stakeholders.
A press release from the Kualar Lumpur based RSPO says Ghana’s National Interpretation (NI) of the RSPO Principles and Criteria for sustainable palm oil in Ghana has been approved. This makes Ghana the first country in Africa to receive certification for the palm oil sector.
According to the release, the NI paves the way for RSPO certification of oil palm growers in Ghana, setting out clear indictors for the development of sustainable palm oil appropriate to the local context.
The NI, the release indicated is developed as a result of intense research, dialogue, feedback and collaboration within a working group comprising key constituents in markets involved.
It usually includes representatives from each stakeholder group in the palm oil supply chain, local communities, regulatory and governmental bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), it added.
The release said the Ghana National Interpretation Working Group (GNIWG) comprised experts from various areas of Agronomy, Milling and Research, Environment and Natural Resources, Legal License and Social and Economics and Labour.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi