Between the Ministry and the Multinational

A multinational seed company was taken aback when a Ghanaian ministry rejected its application for a license to import hybrid seeds into the country. An agent of the company had registered the variety in the country several years earlier. The company partnered with USAID to make the seeds available to farmers through one of its projects. Ghana’s policy permitted imports of seeds, but it required the importers to offer a plan to produce the seeds in the country, giving them a short time to assess the market potential. A dysfunctional bureaucracy that could not communicate properly and a firm that felt entitled to enter any market but only marginally interested in developing a small market, required a third party of sorts to negotiate a resolution that met the requirements of the policy. The resolution did not result in a lasting congenial relationship. A case to discuss attracting private investments, communicating with the private sector, and implementing policies.