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ASNAPP (Ghana) and the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) have jointly developed international trade standards for Voacanga africana and Griffonia simplicifolia, the two leading medicinal plants of export value in Ghana.
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With support from Ghana's Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF), a technical committee was drawn from relevant public and private organizations to provide technical inputs into the drafting of the standards.The committee was made of experts from:
To develop acceptable standards for the industry, the technical committee reviewed relevant literature, studied industry practices and norms and generated the necessary information that went into the draft standard documents. Moreover, several copies of the draft standards prepared by the committee were distributed to importers, brokers, exporters, scientists and experts for comments and recommendations. Among the external expert inputs were those received from Rutgers University, USA, who also conducted scientific analyses and chemical profiling on over 30 samples of Griffonia and Voacanga and provided recommendations for the final standard documents.
To ease the adoption of the standards, ASNAPP worked with the Trade and Investment Program for a Competitive Export Economy (TIPCEE), a local USAID support program, to develop quality assurance guidelines and norms, and jointly organized national educational campaigns to educate collectors and brokers of these products. Additionally, ASNAPP, KNUST and CSRPM among others, developed manuals highlighting the do's and don'ts of harvesting and post-harvest handling, and recommended methods for achieving products of the highest quality.
The potential of Voacanga africana and Griffonia simplicifolia as additional sources of income to rural communities in Ghana is widely acknowledged. Six of the ten regions of the country have entire communities whose livelihoods are intricately linked to the wild-collection of seeds and pods of these plants to generate household income. In 2008 alone, Ghana's medicinal export earnings topped $15 million, 80% of which emanated from Griffonia and Voacanga exports which accrued to over 30 000 wild collectors, 500 agents and 45 exporters.
In spite of the economic benefit from these plants, the industry had faced significant challenges, including the lack of trade standards and comprehensive quality assurance mechanisms. These seriously hindered its full impact on the rural economy in particular, and the national economy in general. Product quality had been a major concern of many importing companies from the EU and USA and often led to the rejection of several tonnes of products from Ghana. The new standards are expected to alleviate these challenges, promote a healthy trade relations between Ghanaian exporters and international importers and boost the annual export earnings into Ghana.
Already, the high level of awareness created and the trainings conducted by ASNAPP over the period have led to increased cultivation of Voacanga by community members, and recently Griffonia. To support the interest in cultivation, ASNAPP facilitated the cultivation 30 000 seedlings by 20 entrepreneurs. An estimated 300 tonnes would be produced to augment the national output from this initiative.
The benefits of these sustained industry-wide efforts by ASNAPP include:
1. Ten thousand (10 000) posters produced and trainings conducted in 250 communities in 6 regions of Ghana where these botanicals are actively traded
2. A total of 7 296 collectors, agents and exporters trained on sustainable harvesting and post harvest handling practices, as well as export practices
3. The collection and export of 4 480 tonnes of products valued at $ 25 520 000
4. The emergence on new collector communities who subsequently have mobilized 20 tonnes and generated $ 100 000 in income
5. Overall increase in the national awareness of the potential of these plants as viable income-generating ventures
Story supplied by:
Larry Amekuse
Program Officer
ASNAPP-Ghana
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Country Programs 
