Nigeria’s biosafety agency enters into synergy with African countries

Ebegba said that Nigeria deserves to synergise with other African countries to ensure biosafety.

0

National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) on Tuesday announced it is entering into synergy with Ethiopia and Mozambique to ensure entrenchment of biosafety practices in Africa.

The Director General (DG) of NBMA, Dr Rufus Ebegba, said this in Abuja while receiving delegates from Ethiopia and Mozambique on a learning tour on biosafety.

Ebegba said that Nigeria deserves to synergise with other African countries to ensure biosafety.

The DG said that NBMA has the responsibility to regulate the activities of modern biotechnology, deploy and use their products which is the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

He said the agency had always ensured that GMOs did not have negative impact on the society.

“The agency has been able to establish a GMO detecting analysis laboratory to ensure that all GMOs suspects are properly analysed, detected and confirmed not to have meritorious genes.

“The activities of the agency have led to various development of various guidelines to enable effective delivery of national biosafety activities in our country.

“We have not failed our country in ensuring that safety is our watchword,” Ebegba said.

READ ALSO:https://brandpowerng.com/nextgen-iita-others-launch-new-improved-cassava-varieties/

Responding, the Mozambican representative, Dr Roda Uniz, said the agency was a good example to follow in terms of biosafety around the continent.

Editor’s Picks  Hardship: Peg customs duty at N1000/$, CPPE urges CBN 

“We are here to learn how this technology is going to improve the lives of Africa and to protect our environment,” Uniz said.

Prof. Firew Mekbib, President, Ethiopia Society of Biotechnology said that Africa could not develop without biotechnology.

Mekbib commended NBMA for its activities to ensure biosafety in the continent.

Dr Francis Nang’ayo, Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, African Agricultural Technology Foundation Kenya, promised to comply with approval conditions from NBMA on biosafety.

Nang’ayo commended the great achievements made by NBMA and promised to learn more on biosafety from the agency.