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A number of Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) has called on government to halt or withdraw the passage of the Plant Breeders� Bill to allow time for vigorous public education, debate and inputs from Ghanaians. They expressed concern over why the government was rushing with the passage of the Bill, without subjecting it to thorough public debate for Ghanaians to know what the bill contained and the future implications it has on our food sovereignty and food security as a people. The appeals were made at a day�s awareness creation workshop on the Plant Breeders� Bill and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Ghana, held at the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) in Accra. The workshop was co-organized by the NCS, the Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD), Actionaid Ghana and Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, with sponsorship from Star-Ghana. �Survival of Ghanaians does not depend on GMOs�, �We don�t need GMOs to survive�, �Put the Bill on hold and subject it to thorough public debate�, �Withdraw the bill� and �educate the public on the Bill� were some of the messages and views of representatives of the FBOs echoed at the workshop. In a draft statement after the workshop, the group appealed to Parliament to suspend the passage of the Bill in its present state till there was adequate public information on the pros and cons of the Bill. They called for the withdrawal of the current Bill to allow for in-depth analysis and to build national consensus, and the redrafting of the Bill to address the concerns of interest groups such as farmers, local seed producers, local researchers and consumers. The FBOs also entreated the President of the Republic, to intervene in halting the passage of the Bill till it was clarified to Ghanaians. The group also urged the President not to assent the bill should parliament go ahead and implement it in its current form. The National Catholic Secretariat has pledged to disseminate information on the Bill and GMOs to the 20 Arch/Dioceses and over 4,000 Parishes spread throughout the country, appealing to the President not to give his assent should the bill be passed. The FBOs has also resolved to educate their members about the Bill, collaborate with the media to register their concerns, as well as explore the options of peaceful demonstration and legal pursuits to get their concerns registered. Instead of pushing for the passage of the Bill which the FBOs say that does not answer all the challenges in the agriculture sector, they advised government to address the inadequate infrastructure that was affecting agriculture in the country, such as poor road networks, lack of storage materials and lack of credit facilities to farmers. In a welcome address, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of the Department of Human Development (DHD) at the NCS, said the �Right to Food� being pursued in the proposed Ghana�s reviewed constitution will be meaningless without Food Sovereignty. He called for increased cooperation of the FBOs on common-ground issues including the Plant Breeders� Bill, noting that the FBOs hold the key to unlocking citizens� agency and mobilization for good governance. Mr. John Yaw Opoku, a legal practitioner who spoke on Ghana�s Biosafety Act and the Plant Breeders� Bill-what Ghanaians need to know, said there were difference between Biotechnology and GM Biotechnology. He explained that whereas Biotechnology encourages the use of science and technology to improve crop yields and good breeds in animals, the Genetically Modified Technology encourages the tampering of plant cells or animals genes by introducing the Bacillus Thuringiensis, a poisonous gene into the seeds that could affect our health negatively. He said provisions in sections of the Plant Breeders� Bill make it an offence for anyone to use GM food without authorization, meaning every season, farmers will have to buy seeds at prices to be determined by the foreign companies selling the seeds. Mr. Bernard Guri, Executive Secretary of CIKOD, in a presentation said claims that GM foods have no health risks, ensures higher yields, safe for human and environment and more nutritious were not true. Citing various authorities, studies conducted and evidence, he said there was potential health, economic, socio-cultural, ecological and even political risks in promoting and consuming GM foods. He said the promotion of GM seeds will lead to the takeover of seed business by multi-national corporate organizations, which will make farmers dependent on corporate organization for seeds, meaning they (farmers) will lose their right to share seeds among themselves. To promote food sovereignty in Ghana and Africa, he recommended the championing of the small African Family Farm System with the application of appropriate farming models, urging all to resist corporate takeover of Africa�s agriculture. Madam Victoria Adongo, Programs Coordinator for Peasant Farmers Association in Ghana, said Right to Food is Food Sovereignty, adding that to ensure this farmers� interest must be protected. She bemoaned the fact that the Plants Breeders� Bill does not favor peasant farmers especially the small scale farmers and observed that promoting GMOs would adversely affect farmers because it was expensive and unhealthy. Among the FBOs present at the Workshop were NCS/Ghana Catholic Bishops� Conference, Ghana Pentecostal Charismatic Council, Marshallan Relief and Development Service, Office of the National Chief Imam, Federation of Muslim Women of Ghana, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Ghana Muslim Mission, Religious Bodies Network for Climate Change and Ahlussuna Wal Jama�a.