Food Security: FG To Improve Agriculture Through Genome Editing Tech

The federal government has intensified efforts to boost food security through the adoption of Genome Editing Technology to improve agricultural practices in the country.

The director general of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Professor Abdullahi Mustapha made this known during a two-day Training Workshop for Communicators on Genome Editing(GEd) organised by NABDA in collaboration with African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD).

The workshop, which ended in Abuja on Tuesday, drew strategic communicators from across the country and focused on the need to adopt and invest in this technology and the dissemination of knowledge about the technology to local farmers.

Genome Editing is a form of genetic engineering that addresses specific research areas in agriculture to produce better yielding seedlings for farmers to grow, which may reduce the time to maturity and raise   the volume of productivity.

The NABDA boss, during his closing ceremony, tasked the communicators and other stakeholders to find a nexus and connect with the local farmers on the advantages the technology will bring to them even as he urged them to show more commitment to enhancing public understanding of the GEd.

Represented by the NABDA Director of Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Department, Dr. Shakirat Solebo, the Director General said that “Nigeria needs to produce more food to feed its growing population and Genome Editing Technology will help in this regard.”

“Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth, the need for food security cannot be overemphasised,” she said.

Recognising the immense promise that GEd holds for addressing complex challenges across various sectors, including agriculture, the NABDA had worked diligently in partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology, and Innovation (CoE-STI), AUDA NEPAD, to promote the continental Agenda of the Genome Editing (GEd) Communication and Advocacy Initiative.

Florence Nazare, from the AUDA-NEPAD from South Africa in her closing remarks charged the stakeholders to strengthen commitment in the advocacy for the technology so that it will reach all corners of the continent, adding that this will improve agriculture productivity to meet the growing needs of the people.

The director general of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Dr. Agnes Asagbra, in her remarks on Monday, said her agency recognized the importance of Genome Editing that is why it issued guidelines that will foster conformity on the technology.