CSIR-FRI is mandated by the Government of Ghana to conduct market-oriented applied research on food processing and preservation, safety, storage, marketing, distribution, and utilization, as well as national food and nutrition security in support of the food industry. It also advises the government on food policy and is Ghana’s leading science and technology institute in food transformation and processing. Its mission is to provide scientific and technological support for the growth of the food and agricultural sectors in line with corporate priorities and national development. The main R&D centers focus on food technology, microbiology, and chemistry, with the goal of providing technical information, training, and services to the private sector (and other stakeholders), conducting market-oriented research, and offering accredited technical services in the food industry. The institute’s research emphasizes post-harvest technologies best suited to various aspects of Ghana’s food supply chain, such as processing raw materials (both fishery and agricultural products) into non-perishable forms. CSIR-FRI also develops technologies for new food products, products for vulnerable groups, and the fabrication of food processing equipment.
CSIR-FRI in NATUR-EXT: will coordinate the CSIR institute consortium: CSIR-Water Research Institute, CSIR-Institute for Industrial Research, CSIR-Soil Research Institute, and CSIR-Building and Road Research Institute, among others, to carry out the following work packages:
- Develop an alternative cooking energy source to prevent fishers from cutting down local trees. For example, creating biochar as a cooking fuel and studying how to implement it.
- Capacity building for Ghanaian staff involved in the management, operation, and maintenance of the system.
- Creation of a working group composed of project partners (both European and African) to develop joint solutions applicable to each country, based on the experience of each partner.