IITA tasks BSN on African voice in global biotechnology landscape

The Director General of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga, has called on Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) to step forward and present the African voice on the global biotechnology landscape.

The call was made during a courtesy visit made to the him in his office in Ibadan, when a delegation of the Board of Trustees and National Executive Council members paid him a visit, led by Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, during the 32nd annual international conference of the BSN.

While thanking the society for choosing IITA to host this year’s conference, Dr Sanginga expressed satisfaction at the level of competency in biotechnology in Nigeria, which effectively places the country in leadership position in Africa in biotechnology.

Prof Tenebe thanked IITA for accepting to host the conference and assured the IITA the continued support of the society in mainstreaming biotechnology in the country’s agricultural research for development.  Responding, the President of BSN, Professor Benjamin Ubi, expressed the commitment to the society in taking the challenges of engendering collective actions and influencing policies around biotechnology in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, within the context of food and nutrition security.