Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo witnesses deposits of 60k seeds into Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway

February 26, 2020 6:17 PM

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo visited Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago situated between continental Norway and the North Pole.

Nana Akufo-Addo at Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway

This was at the invitation of the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg.

On Tuesday (February 25, 2020) Nana Akufo-Addo witnessed the deposit of some 60,000 new seed samples into the Svalbard Seed Vault.

Nana Akufo-Addo said this was the first bug deposit the Arctic facility has seen since its upgrade to future-proof it against climate change.

Nana Addo at Svalbard Seed Vault Pulse Ghana

The total number of seeds in the vault has now increased to more than a million.

The Svalbard seed vault is an attempt to ensure against the loss of seeds in other gene-banks during large-scale regional or global crises.

The Svalbard Seed Vault is located way up north, in the permafrost, 1300 kilometers beyond the Arctic Circle.

Nana Addo at Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway Pulse Ghana

It is the world's largest secure seed storage, opened by the Norwegian Government in February 2008.

From all across the globe, crates of seeds are sent here for safe and secure long-term storage in cold and dry rock vaults.

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