As Nigeria moves to tackle food insecurity, some scientists in the agriculture value chain have argued that Genome Editing (GEd) would greatly help bridge the food insufficiency gap in the country.
They stated this during a workshop on Genome Editing’, organised by the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), in collaboration with the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD).
While noting that it is very safe and fast in crop production, the scientists described GEd as a technology that is new, direct, precise, accurate, and meant to rewrite the genetic information of living organisms, giving results within the shortest space of time, to derive benefits.
They, therefore, called on critical stakeholders including journalists/communicators to project the potentials and breakthroughs of GEd in a clear, accurate and accessible manner to diverse audiences. They explained that there is a difference between GEd and Genetically Modified (GM) crops.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO), NABDA, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, was convinced that the technology will solve some of the challenges the country is grappling with in the areas of crop diseases; changing climatic conditions, like flooding and drought; lack of land; and insecurity, as Nigeria strive towards food security.
Mustapha argued that with GEd, the huge losses to post-harvest farming would be a thing of the past.
“What we’ve taken to use as the first research in this area in the country, which is going to help other African countries, is to increase tomato shelf life so that when people harvest their tomato and want to transport it to different locations, it’s not going to rot on the way. So, this GEd is what we are now deploying as a tool to make sure that we achieve that.”
In her goodwill message, the DG/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency, Dr Agnes Asagbra, spoke on the enormous potential Genome editing has to revolutionise various sectors, from agriculture to healthcare.
She said: “This training represents a key opportunity for communicators to grasp the intricacies of GEd and effectively communicate its benefits, risks, and ethical considerations to the wider community. We, at National Biosafety Management, will continue to ensure that adequate measures are put in place to ensure the safe deployment of the technology in Nigeria.”
