Tag Archives: Biosafety

Scientists have been asked to simplify information about their work and technologies for the public to understand.  One of the technologies that researchers are still failing to communicate to the public effectively is modern biotechnology. Modern biotechnology is a term adopted by international convention to mean techniques for the manipulation of genetic material beyond natural breeding barriers. And for this ...

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), alongside the Voice of Nigeria (VON), has inaugurated a 10-man joint committee as part of efforts to ensure effective publicity of the activities of the NBMA. The two parties also drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will help to increase awareness on the regulation of modern biotechnology and its products in the country ...

Catholic Medical Practitioners have called on the federal government to legislate, regulate and monitor the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria. While demanding that attention be payed to the labelling of GMO products, they demanded adequate funding for research and development by the GMO regulatory agencies for the nation to derive benefits from the technology. “But more importantly, ...

Africa now has in place a number of Resource Networks to strategically address pertinent issues relating to the responsible development and use of agricultural biotechnology within countries, across sub-regions and around the continent. These Resource Networks are also to help strengthen and position the African group for tactical negotiations at the international level. This is to ensure that Africa’s concerns ...

The Director General/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 in Abuja re-emphasised the need to regulate the practice of modern biotechnology in the country. Dr. Ebegba made the submission while receiving members of the Real-Life Civil Society, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), at the NBMA Office. According to him, government in its wisdom established ...

A newly released peer-reviewed paper appears to have drawn attention to environmental challenges associated with genetically-modified (GM) crops, as well as the gaps in scientific knowledge of their effects. GM crops are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering methods. In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the ...

Director General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has said that the agency will not regulate the biosafety industry and the technology therein on sentiments’ grounds. Therefore, he adds, the organisation will not be deterred by campaigns unfavourable to its operations. Ebegba made the submission on Friday, June 9, 2017 in Abuja while receiving executive members of the ...

Ayuba David, a public servant based in Abuja, in this piece, makes a case for the prevalence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria, in the light of dissenting voices over government’s efforts at regulating the technology. According to him, other countries across the globe are already using the technology to their own benefit and that Nigeria cannot be an exception ...

The need for public consultation and participation in the approval processes of applications that directly affect the people’s health and wellbeing cannot be overstressed. Many issues surround the matter of our food and agricultural modern biotechnology that require clarifications and in-depth interrogations. It is to this end that the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on April 25, 2017 had ...

Following Cuba’s deposition of its instrument of accession to the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on Wednesday, April 26 2017, only three more ratifications are now required for the Supplementary Protocol to enter into force. Adopted as a supplementary agreement to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological ...