Accra, Feb.1, GNA – Mr Ebenezer Mante, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Packaging Ghana (IOPG) on Tuesday said the vision of his outfit is to become a sub-regional centre for training and development of packaging expertise.

The body, he said also aims at becoming a leading packaging institution in Africa.

He said the IOPG provides world class professional training and packaging service to individuals and organisations operating in the packaging and trade sectors.

Mr Mante made this known when he granted an interview to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

He said the IOPG is a registered professional body operating in Ghana and the West African sub-region, promoting packaging practice since November 2003.

“The institute provides training, advocacy, business advisory, research and consultancy services to the packaging and trade sectors.”

Mr Mante noted that to ensure high packaging standards, the IOPG had established mutually beneficial partnership with national and international institutions.

He said the IOPG collaborating partners at the national level includes the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Women and Children’s Affairs, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Board and Ghana Education Service.

The others are the Ghana Export Promotion Council, Coalition against Counterfeit and Illicit Trade, Universities of Ghana and Science and Technology and the Rural Enterprises Project to provide training to micro entrepreneurs in effective packaging.

Mr Mante said the international collaborating partners also includes Institute of Packaging South Africa, Thai packaging centre, the international trade centre and pro-invest group which was funded by the European Union.

He added that the IOPG organises frequent seminars and workshops for its national collaborating partners to upgrade their knowledge in packaging.

The institute also offer 10 months professional diploma courses in packaging technology, in collaboration with institute of packing, South Africa for individuals and organisations.

Touching on the achievement, he said the IOPG has build the capacity of industry practitioners through the provision of professional, short term and refresher training programmes in packaging for Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2003.

Mr Mante added that the IOPG hosted the first World Packaging Organisation Board Meeting and Packaging Awards Ceremony (World Star) as well as the First Ghana Packaging Awards in May 2008.

It also started food packaging courses for final year students of the Food Process Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering Science of the University of Ghana.

Mr Mante said he arranged a study tour of European Packaging Institutions and participation in packaging fairs for Ghanaian packaging converts with support from the EU Pro-Invest and conducted research and published a Ghana Packing Directory and hand books with assistance from International Trade Centre.

He said the institute benefits to its members are unaccountable, adding “the institute administratively is governed by a seven- member Executive Committee.”