The National Biosafety Management Agency(NBMA) said it is working to put in place a bio-security, monitoring and surveillance system by 2026.

Director-General of the NBMA, Mr. Bello Bawa Bwari, made the disclosure Monday at the opening ceremony of the Regulatory Study Tour by the Senegal National Biosafety Authority, (NBA) in Abuja, adding that the initiative will be launched by January 

Bwari stated that the agency’s focal point is to enhance the bio- Intelligence system in the country. 

The DG noted that the agency has taken a different approach into Biosafety, which also has become a global economy where things are happening in agriculture, environment and health.

“It is also an avenue for Africa to take advantage of the development of Biotechnology, to ensure sovereignty and security.

“We are hoping to have a robust Biotechnology conference which tends to match what we find in Europe.

He said “our ambition is to be self-sufficient in maize production through Biotechnology as we have licensed tela mazia. The agency also hopes to cut down its dependency on importing by 50% in the next 3 years.”

Responding, Executive Director Senegal Biosafety Authority, Mr Aliou Ndiaye, said African States must integrate this global reality, in order to take advantage of the ongoing transformation in the fields of agriculture, health, and the environment.

He added that continuous capacity building within our institutions is essential in order to derive maximum benefit from these modern biotechnologies and their applications.

Mr Ndiaye said since its creation in 2015, the National Biosafety Agency of Nigeria had made significant progress in biosafety, including, the establishment of an operational legal and institutional framework; the testing and approved of cotton, niebe and mays GM, which is a major example in the subregion; the development of effective risk monitoring and assessment mechanisms; the public participation in the decision-making process.