The Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, Nigeria Chapter, an initiative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) under the auspices of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) has trained some Lagos based journalists on Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety matters so that suitable decisions about GM crops are made based on evidence-based science and policymakers’ decisions are clearly understood and disseminated to the public.
The Initiative in a statement signed by the Information Officer, Sarah Iliya Melah, on Monday in Abuja, states that the training was to address misconceptions about the safety of the technology.
According to the statement, the Head, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology & Biotech Awareness Unit, Mrs. Iweajunwa Sarah Ogochukwu enumerated the objectives of the workshop while addressing the participants as part of efforts to enlighten and keep the participants up to date with the developments in Agricultural Biotech and build the capacity of the participants for improved editorial decision-making on issues related to Agric biotech.
The Director General/CEO, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, in his welcome remarks reiterated that agricultural biotechnology must be understood, accepted, and embraced by the general public for it to realize its full potential and that it is a collective responsibility of NABDA to ensure that all Nigerians have access to accurate and fair information concerning agricultural biotechnology, which will enable them to make informed decisions about its applications.
“The media is the bridge that connects complex scientific discoveries with the broader society, translating technical jargon into understandable language, and fostering informed discussions. Therefore, it is imperative that we engage in a constructive dialogue on how the media can better cover agricultural biotechnology, biosafety, and related topics,” Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha asserted.
In a related development, the Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Department, NABDA, Dr. Rose M. Gidado, highlighted that Nigerian agriculture is vulnerable to climate change and its associated occurrences of higher temperatures, extended droughts, floods, and other circumstances, reducing agricultural production across the country, particularly in the Northern States.
Also speaking Dr. Agnes Yemisi Asagbra, the DG/CEO of the National Biosafety Management Agency emphasized that modern biotechnology has advanced quickly; creating new regulatory requirements that must be met to protect human health and the environment while also utilizing the potential that biotechnology presents the country to.
