Nairobi, Kenya
July 28, 2006
by
Ochieng' Ogodo,
SciDev.Net
Researchers and policymakers met
in Kenya this week to discuss ways that biotechnology could
contribute to the continent's development.
The meeting held on 25-28 July was
the 4th gathering of the High-Level Panel on Biotechnology, set
up by the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's
Development to provide policy advice to African leaders.
The panel discussed a draft
report, which it plans to refine and submit to the annual summit
of African heads of state in January 2007. It has requested
comments on the report from researchers, policymakers and the
general public.
The report identifies ways of
building the continent's capacity to use biotechnology to
improve health, agriculture and industry, and urges African
countries and regions to collaborate on biotechnology research.
The panel's co-chair, Calestous
Juma of Harvard University, United States, said that people who
say biotechnology is being forced on Africa have a limited view
of what it is taking place and are only considering genetically
modified (GM) organisms.
He pointed out that serious
research in various aspects of biotechnology was already
underway in African countries including Egypt, Kenya and South
Africa.
Panel member Tewolde Egziabher,
the director-general of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection
Authority, said that biosafety issues relating to genetic
modification are a small but vital component of biotechnology as
a whole.
He said some industrialised
countries are trying to force GM products onto African countries
that have no regulatory frameworks or laws in place to mitigate
adverse effects that these products could generate.
He said such countries are
undermining the Cartagena Protocol, an international instrument
intended to protect biodiversity from potential harm posed by GM
organisms (see
The Cartagena Protocol: the debate goes on).
Juma, however, is less worried
about biosafety. "As far as I am concerned GM products are as
safe as conventional ones, and both have risks," he said.
Draft report on biotechnology and African development:
http://www.nepadst.org/doclibrary/pdfs/abp_july2006.pdf
The draft report is available for
public comment. Comments should be submitted by 31 August 2006
to aambali@nrf.ac.za.
SciDev.Net also welcomes views on the report and will consider
publishing those sent to
news@scidev.net.
Related links:
High-Level Panel on Biotechnology |
