Aflatoxins and their Management in Ghana: A Situational Analysis

2020

English

Aflatoxins are naturally occurring harmful toxins produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin contamination is widespread throughout Africa where it has been detected in grains such as maize, groundnuts, millet and sorghum as well as in animal products such as meat, eggs, poultry, and milk. Humans and animals are exposed to aflatoxin through consumption of contaminated foods and feed. Exposure to very high levels of aflatoxin results in acute health effects such as aflatoxicosis, which can cause death in severe cases. Chronic exposure to low levels of aflatoxin over time can result in health problems such as immune suppression, delayed recovery from kwashiorkor, impairment of liver function, liver cancer and reduced growth rate or stunting ((Adhikari et al., 1994; Rogers, 1993; Kalorey et al., 2001; Mocchegiani, 2001; Turner et al., 2003; Liu & Wu 2010). Aflatoxin contamination of food products in Ghana poses serious economic concerns and accounts for losses of about 319,000 tonnes or 18% of Ghana’s annual maize production (Boateng, 2019). The African Union Commission recognized the detrimental effects of aflatoxins and has therefore established the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control (PACA) to help address the problem. PACA has developed its strategy for controlling aflatoxin and supported the Economic Communities to also develop their action plans for aflatoxin control. The ECOWAS action plan was adopted by Ministers of Agriculture in 2015. ECOWAS countries are expected to be guided by the Action plan to develop country-specific policies for aflatoxin control. In this vein, the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in collaboration with the Plants Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is implementing a project aimed at developing a national policy and technical regulation for aflatoxin control in food and feed in Ghana. The policy will among others address fragmentation and poor coordination of aflatoxin-related activities, which often lead to inefficient use of resources. All over the world, policy-makers are now using evidence-based approaches to arrive at well-informed decision about policies, programmes and projects. Thus, the best available evidence from research is critical for policy development and implementation. Research identifies what works and highlight gaps where evidence of program effectiveness is lacking. Accordingly, to ensure that the expected aflatoxin policy decisions are adequately informed by rigorously established objective evidence, this Situational Analysis (SITAN) study was conducted to find out the best course of action (e.g. strategies, entry points, partnerships) by learning about community attitudes and practices regarding aflatoxin management; identifying what has already been done to address aflatoxin problem and what results and lessons were obtained, as well as who the main actors have been and who might be key to engage. In addition to ensuring the appropriateness of the intervention to the local context, the situational analysis is expected help avoid duplication of efforts. The objectives of the SITAN were therefore to: • Define the nature and extent of aflatoxin problem in the local context; 13 • Map the perceptions and experiences of key stakeholders in relation to the problem; • Identify existing strategies and activities which address the problem; • Identify the actors and organizations that are already active in the area; • Identify the actors and organizations that could be important partners; and • Identify gaps in existing strategies and activities The approaches used in conducting the study include literature review, interviews with key informants and surveys. The situational analysis report is presented in four chapters as follows: Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction. Chapter 2 gives an overview and status of aflatoxins contamination, health and economic effects, mitigation measures, and policies. Chapter 3 presents the survey among researchers, project implementers and university lecturers on the teaching, research and intervention projects on mycotoxins (aflatoxin). Finally, Chapter 4 presents the survey on knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among value chain actors.

Omari, R.; Tetteh, E. K.; Baah-Tuahene, S.; Karbo, R.; Adams, A.; Asante, I. K.