By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has restated its commitment to providing regulatory frameworks and safety measures for modern biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria.
The Director General, NBMA, Dr Agnes Asagbra gave the assurance at a one-day training workshop at the Barcelona Hotel in Abuja On Tuesday.
The theme of the workshop is “Strategic communication training for influencers/reporters on Biosafety and Biotech regulations.”
The training was organized in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
She emphasized NBMA’s responsibility for providing regulatory frameworks and safety measures for modern biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria
She said the workshop will also empower opinion influencers to effectively communicate science benefits and regulatory frameworks associated with biotechnological products.
“This event has become very important because there has been a lot misinformation and misinterpretation, so we decided that we needed to have a communication programme for journalist and influencers, and this programme is jointly sponsor by NBMA and USDA.’’
She said that the Agency will continue to prioritize biosafety, adapt to emerging challenges and seize new opportunities in the biotechnology field.
In his speech, the US Agricultural Counselor in Nigeria, Mr Christopher Bielecki said the USDA will continue to work collaboratively with local partners to support the development of Nigeria’s domestic agricultural systems.
He said the US. Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria is proud to partner with the NBMA, to organize these series of trainings with the aim of supporting the country in advancing its agricultural biotechnology and biosafety regulations.
The Program office, OFAB Nigeria, Mr Abraham Isah, urged journalists to believe in the work of scientists, stating that Science is all about data and research.
“Evolving technologies such as this, you can’t do without misconceptions because of personal interest, but I will urge the journalists to believe in scientists, especially, research on GM crops and animals, because a scientist who has done such research will be in a better place because of their research findings,” he said.
