Ghana's National Biosafety Authority has approved the environmental release of the genetically modified BT Cowpea Event 709A, developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI). The pest target is the Maruca pod borer, which can reduce cowpea yields by 20-80%. Field testing for this event began in Ghana in 2016, with this representing the first GE crop developed and approved by Ghana. The country has also recently resumed the approval process for another GM Cowpea variety (SAMPEA 20-T) (see AgbioNews Dec 8, 2021). Previous cowpeas modified with GM technology have been planted in other African countries, with the first being planted in Nigeria in 2021 (AgbioNews Sep 13, 2021); these varieties were adopted so quickly that there were shortages of the GM cowpea seed (AgbioNews Oct 5, 2021).