The Human Rights Court 1 has dismissed the interlocutory injunction application filed by Food Sovereignty Ghana and others against the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) over the approval given for the registration of 14 Genetically Modified (GM) crops for food, feed, and processing in Ghana.

The court presided over by Her Ladyship, Justice Barbara Tetteh-Charway in dismissing the application on Tuesday April 30, 2024, acknowledged the NBA’s diligence in executing its statutory mandate in ensuring the safety and regulatory compliance of GM crops within Ghana’s agricultural sector.

The NBA recently greenlit the commercial use of 14 innovative GM products, including eight maize and six soybean varieties.

However, Food Sovereignty Ghana and others on April 10, 2024 filed the motion for interlocutory injunction to restrain the National Biosafety Committee and 4 others from “releasing into the Ghanaian ecosystem any GM product”.

The court also admonished that seeking information from the NBA would have averted the filing of the present application.

The landmark ruling marks a significant milestone for actors in the biotechnology and agricultural innovation space and affirms that science-based functional biosafety systems are important to expand producer choice, inspire consumer confidence, facilitate trade and promote agricultural research and development.

The ruling of the substantive matter is scheduled for Friday May 24, 2024.

“The NBA wishes to assure Ghanaians that it remains committed to ensuring the safety of modern biotechnology in Ghana as well as continuous engagement with stakeholders in a transparent manner”, the statement from the NBA assured.