Dr Shakirat Ajenifujah-Solebo, a Biotechnology expert, says the multi-stakeholder review and validation workshop to update and strengthen the National Policy on Biotechnology will address consumer concerns about biotechnology.
Ajenifujah-Solebo, Chairman, Secretariat Policy Review Committee on Biotechnology, said this at a two-day multi-stakeholder review and validation workshop in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ajenifujah-Solebo, also Director, Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Department, National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) said that the revised policy would benefit biotechnology consumers.
She said that the validation workshop would also ensure a robust national biotechnology policy with contemporary innovations, research and technology ideas.
She said it would equally ensure that Nigeria has a competitive edge in the biotechnology value chain in a bioeconomy worth about trillions of dollars.
The chairman noted that though the outdated policy document provided for consumer awareness on the technology, yet it was not adequately captured.
She attributed this to the fact that biotechnology products have entered and are being developed in the country.
“This makes it more important to ensure that the consumers are carried along, not just for agricultural biotechnology but all aspects of biotechnology encompassing medical, environment and others.
“That is why we brought stakeholders from Consumer Advocacy, Consumer Protection Board and others to increase the awareness and get Nigerians more prepared to accept biotechnology , its products and services,’’ she said.
Ajenifujah-Solebo regretted the fact that Nigeria was yet to take its place in the global bioeconomy, and expressed optimism that with the revised and validated policy Nigeria shall get there.
“We are hopeful that once we are able to integrate innovations and frontiers of technology into the policy we are going to position Nigeria to benefit,” she said.
The director said that the biotech policy update was long overdue, adding that the existing policy was over two decades old, while there had been numerous changes in the technology sector.
She said it was important to bring up and have the revised, validated document ready as a reference point after incorporating some future technologies and innovations to ensure Nigeria took her rightful place.
