The government of Ghana has confirmed the deposit of seeds in the Arctic Circle’s ‘doomsday vault’ in a bold attempt to ensure the long-term protection of the country’s major food crops.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault which is a facility nestled in an arctic mountain on the remote Norweigan island of Spitsbergen, currently safeguards no fewer than 1.2 million seed samples, the world’s largest collection of crop diversity in any single location.
The vault is owned by the government of Norway and designed to withstand all natural and human disasters.
According to its operators, the facility provides permanent protection and preservation for food crops to ensure future global food security in the wake of disaster, earning it the nickname “doomsday vault”.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that Ghana’s deposit was made by the West Africa country’s Plant Research Institute, CSIR-PGRRI, and includes key crops like maize, rice, eggplant and black-eyed peas.
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The Crop Trust, which runs the seed vault, said it has seeds from almost every country on Earth.
Ghana follows African nations like Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia in making a deposit.
“This, our very first safety back-up, provides a sense of relief that our collections of crop diversity are on the path to being secured in perpetuity for the benefit of all humanity,” Daniel Kotey, Senior Research Scientist at CSIR-PGRRI said.
In another report, a patrol team of the Nigerian Navy Ship, BEECROFT has confirmed that it has intercepted 11 Stowaways aboard GWANGZHOU HIGHWAY PANAMA ship enroute Ghana in West Africa.
According to a statement by the Base Information Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT, H.A Collins, which was sighted by Africa Today News, New York on Friday, the individuals were intercepted on Tuesday at about 7pm during a routine patrol of Navy Ship BEECROFT patrol team.