Council For Scientific And Industrial Research

Brief of OPRI

The CSIR-Oil Palm Research Institute (CSIR-OPRI) is the foremost public institution in oil palm and coconut research in Ghana. The CSIR-OPRI generates scientific information and marketable technologies for sustainable production and value addition of oil palm and coconut commodities in Ghana.

The Institute has the mandate to research on oil palm and coconut and is tasked to conduct sustainable and demand driven research aimed at providing scientific and technological support for the development of the entire oil palm and coconut industries.

Establishment, Structure and Organizations

The CSIR-OPRI was originally established as a division under the CSIR-Crop Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) in 1964 to take over the functions of the defunct West Africa Institute for Oil Palm Research (WAIFOR) which was responsible for provision of oil palm planting materials and research support to the West African Anglophone Countries. The CSIR-OPRI was upgraded to a Centre in 1979 and gained autonomy from CSIR-CRI to become a fully-fledged Institute in 1988. In 1992, the Institute was additionally mandated to carry out research into coconut in general and Cape St. Paul’s Wilt Disease (CSPWD) in particular. The CSIR-OPRI is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors appointed by the CSIR-Council representing both the public and private sectors, and relevant Departments of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture. The Management of the CSIR-OPRI comprises: The Director, who is the Head of the Institute, the Deputy Director, the various Heads of Divisions and local representatives of the various identifiable groups in the CSIR.

Mandate

The CSIR-OPRI carries out demand-driven research into oil palm and coconut aimed at providing scientific and technological support for sustainable development of the entire oil palm and coconut industries in Ghana.

Mission

The CSIR-OPRI generates scientific information and marketable technologies for sustainable production and value addition of oil palm and coconut for wealth creation and socio-economic development of Ghana.

Vision

To become a centre of excellence in oil palm and coconut research and a major supplier of improved planting materials of oil palm and coconut and relevant technologies in the subregion.

Key Objectives

1. To improve yields, disease and drought tolerance of oil palm and coconut through breeding programmes.

2. To improve agronomic/ cultural practices for attainment of oil palm and coconut yield potentials through land use efficiency and intensification strategies.

3. To add value to oil palm and coconut commodities through product formulation & development, technology advancement and sustainable management of the environment.

4. To commercialize research findings, outputs and by-products through consultancy, training and marketing.

5. To train and develop a highly professional human resource base to realize the vision/mission of the institute.

Programmes & Research Stations

The CSIR-OPRI has two commodity programmes namely; the Oil Palm and Coconut Programmes. The Oil Palm Programme is located at Kusi, near Kade in the Denkyembour District of the Eastern Region whilst the Coconut Programme is located at Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region. The Institute’s current out-stations are located at Agona-Nkwanta in the Ahanta-West District of the Western and Asebu in the Asebu-Amenfi-Kwamankese (AAK) District of the Central Region.

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