Mozambique and Ethiopia are now beneficiaries of the progress and achievements Nigeria has recorded in biotechnology and biosafety as delegates from both countries visited Nigeria on learning tourism.
The Director-General (DG), Agronomical Research Institute of Mozambique, Dr Olga Fatetine, and Chairman, National Variety Release Committee, Ethiopia, Prof. Firew Mekbib, with their entourage, yesterday, visited the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), in Abuja.
Mozambique’s Fafetine expressed appreciation to NABDA’s Director-General, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, not only for sharing the progress and achievements made in agricultural biotechnology, but in other areas of biotechnology.
“This visit is at a good time, at a time when Mozambique is discussing the role of biotechnology in accelerating agricultural production.
“Our farmers are facing a lot of problems in the field and their productivity is low,” Fafetine said.
She, however, noted that Mozambique is moving together with other African countries in making use of agricultural biotechnology.
She disclosed that the country has been doing research for almost 15 years, and currently doing field trials for TELLA maize under the supervision of authorities in the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Fafetine expressed optimism that after the field trials of the TELLA maize, they would produce varieties to give to their farmers to help them increase productivity.
“By this visit, we are hoping to share with Nigeria the procedure for the release of cowpea; we hope to release the variety to help our farmers increase their productivity,” she said.
Her Ethiopian counterpart, Prof. Mekbib said Africa is the only food insecure continent and underscored the need for collaboration by working together in the biotechnology and biosafety space.
He said there is a lot to be learnt by such collaboration in the best interest of all parties, noting that they were encouraged and motivated by what Nigeria has achieved.
Government has put in place all resources in one place to see how it can achieve the target of using biotechnology to advance the economy of the country.
NABDA overview
Earlier, Mustapha had taken the visitors through a comprehensive overview of NABDA.
He spoke about the approval of biotechnology policy by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the emergence of NABDA, its vision and mission, specific mandates, national goals as well as the Agency’s manpower and specialisations.
“Government has put in place all resources in one place to see how it can achieve the target of using biotechnology to advance the economy of the country,” he said.
Highlighting key research, development activities and achievements, the NABDA boss said the Agency has developed bioenergy digesters and test systems for bio-mass energy quantification and optimization.
He said the technology is already patented and had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rural Electrification Agency (REA), to deploy the technology to community level.
He told the visitors what the agency is doing via industrial biotechnology in yoghurt starter culture production and development.
He spoke on thermal resistant yeast isolation for bioethanol production and the establishment of a small scale bio-organic fertilizer plant as well as the Act establishing the Agency.
He further said NABDA had put in place a modern hatchery for quality fingerlings and brood stock supply and fish feed production facility at the headquarters.
He said through the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), the Agency had facilitated the naming, registration and release to farmers, one chicken breed and various crop varieties to farming communities.
It also signed a MoU with RAHAD Global Industries, to boost the deployment of stem cell therapy and food security in Nigeria among other achievements.
Manager, Stewardship at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr Francis Onyekachi, stressed the need to domesticate technologies, adding that biotechnology is needed in Africa and Nigeria.
He said the essence of the meeting was to domesticate science in Africa. (NAN)
