Ghana Commends Nigeria’s Success Story in Agricultural Biotechnology
The Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency NABDA, Prof. AbdullahiMustapha received a high leveled delega/.muuuytion of biotechnology and biosafety team members on a fact finding tour from Ghana to Nigeria on Monday.
In his welcome remarks, the Director General gave an overview and mandate and success of the Agency since inception.
The DG spoke immensely on the role of biotechnology to national and economicdevelopment of any nation. He said agricultural biotechnology could be harnessed to help feed the nation. “We must all be on our feet to see that we feed our nation and biotechnology is the answer to feeding ourselves on this continent of Africa, ‘’ he said.
The Chairman, Parliamentary Select Committee on Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) Ghana, DrEmmanuel Marfo, who led the Ghana delegation to Nigeria, said they were happy being among people doing a good job of trying to feed the nation.
Dr Marfo, noted that the visit would help to broaden their scope in biotechnology. He said the visit would help in the right oversight and to further understand scientists that appear before the parliament.
The parliamentarian also said the meeting had also enabled him to understand the activities of science and also speak for science, as well as represent effectively. “Parliamentarians who do oversight must be conversant with the sector,’’Marfo said.
Similarly, Prof Charles Antwi-Boasiako, Chairman of the National Biosafety Authority(NBA) of Ghana, also commended the great strides of the National Biosafety Management Agency of Nigeria (NBMA).
According to him, the biosafety frame work of Ghana and its applicability while stressing on the need for public enlightenment for accurate knowledge.
Earlier, Dr Francis Onyekachi, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) Representative in West Africa, said that biotechnology infrastructure was properly developed in Nigeria.
He hinted that Nigeria was also foremost in biosafety regulations, in addition to biotech cowpea and cotton which had been released for commercialisation and that biotech maize was coming next.
Onyekachi noted that Nigeria’s biosafety agency coordinated all risk assessments, adding that policies and regulatory systems were well developed instruments of commercialisation put in place. He added that the biotech cowpea and cotton were presently in the hands of Nigerian farmers.
Also Dr Rose Gidado, Deputy Director and Country Coordinator, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology, Nigeria (OFAB), said Nigeria’s story on biotechnology and biosafety space was full of successes.
She said that though there were challenges but the country had always overcome these challenges to come out better adding said the delegation found the need to inquire how Nigeria made it to this level and came for exchange of ideas, knowledge and information in order to build on the strengths.
