Accra, Feb.02, GNA – Professor Olalekan Akinbo head of the Genome Editing Pogramme, African Union Development Agency (AUDA‑NEPAD) has warned that outdated data and weak regulatory policies could undermine the continent’s agricultural development.
He said the rapidly evolving nature of biotechnology and policy reforms required
Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to regularly update information to support evidence‑based decision‑making, strategic investments, and policy formulation.
He has therefore emphasised the need for continuous assessment of Genome Editing (GeD) initiatives across Africa,
Prof. Akinbo made the call at a validation meeting on a new study conducted by Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International and AGTECH Consulting Ltd in Nairobi, Kenya. The study maps existing gene and genome editing work across 16 African countries and highlights gaps that could slow the continent’s progress if left unaddressed.
He reaffirmed AUDA‑NEPAD’s commitment to supporting African countries in developing and implementing genome editing guidelines to advance research, innovation, and commercialization in agriculture.
Dr Martin Mwirigi, Director of the Biotechnology Research Institute of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), said biotechnology, particularly genome editing, offered Africa faster and more precise tools to respond to emerging agricultural threats.
He said farmers were facing longer dry seasons, new insect pests, and previously unknown fungal and viral diseases, and these challenges, he noted, made scientific innovation essential.
“This workshop is timely, as Africa prepares to adopt genome editing to address some of the key challenges confronting farmers,” Dr Mwirigi said.
He argued that Africa could significantly reduce its dependence on food imports if it fully leveraged emerging biotechnologies. Progress, he added, had been slowed not by farmer resistance but by regulatory and policy bottlenecks that had hindered similar technologies such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Dr Florence Wambugu, Chief Executive Officer of Africa Harvest and one of the lead consultants for the study, said the research identified 57 completed and ongoing genome‑editing projects across crops, livestock, forestry, and fisheries.
She said most of the projects were at the proof‑of‑concept and early product development stages and were aimed at tackling climate stress, pests, diseases, and low yields—some of Africa’s most persistent agricultural constraints.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei