Lagos, Nigeria
May 24, 2004
Abiodun Raufu,
SciDev.Net
Biotechnology in Nigeria has received a major boost with
the announcement by the US Agency
for International Development (USAID) that it plans to
invest US$2.1 million in the area over the next three years.
The funds will "assist leading Nigerian universities and
institutes in the research and development of bio-engineered
cowpea and cassava varieties which resist insect and disease
pests," says USAID's mission director in Nigeria, Dawn Liberi.
She adds that the money will also be used to "improve
implementation of biosafety regulations, and enhance public
knowledge and acceptance of biotechnology".
The announcement has been welcomed by Nigeria's President,
Olusegun Obasanjo, who says that "Nigeria should, as a matter of
priority, initiate appropriate steps to explore the use of
biotechnology for the benefits of Nigerians and thus ensure that
Nigeria becomes one of the international leaders in
biotechnology".
Nigeria's
minister of science and technology, Turner Isoun, applauds the
move. But he also warns that there is opposition in some
quarters against the application of biotechnology in Nigeria,
for example in its application to genetically modified (GM)
crops.
"The problem of biotechnology is fundamentally based on the
fear that humans have of the unknown," he says. "Opponents worry
that we do not know enough of the impact of biotechnology
applications."
Isoun adds: "Those who promote the application of biotechnology
do so on the basis that it is safe, and that where doubts
remain, necessary regulations have been put in place. What is
needed is communication in order to bridge the gap existing
between the two positions."
Peter Hartmann, director-general of the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the driving force
behind the promotion of biotechnology in Nigeria, and a partner
in the project, says the USAID funding will help to accelerate
the growth of Nigeria's agricultural sector.
"IITA does not see biotechnology as a [total] panacea [in
the fight against poverty], but as an important tool," he says.
"We have to use all possible tools when over 24,000 people die
every day from starvation. Sometimes the answers we seek are
hidden in the crops themselves. To uncover them, we need all the
tools we can master."
The USAID assistance comes shortly after Nigeria's adoption
of guidelines on the safe application of biotechnology in the
country, and coincided with the opening of discussions between
Nigeria and South Africa on the formulation of a model biosafety
law, which other African countries can emulate.
When the law comes into force, a national
biosafety committee will be set up to approve the testing and
growing of GM crops in the country. Nigeria would then join
Egypt, Kenya and South Africa as the only African countries to
have adopted formal biosafety regulations. |