By Abdallah el-Kurebe, reporting from Accra, Ghana
The African Union Development Agency of the New Partnerships for African Development (AUDA–NEPAD) on Monday in Accra, Ghana began a two-day training workshop for African journalists and communicators.
Participants are members of the African Biosafety Communication Network drawn from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, E-Swatini, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.
Guided by its implementation drive of the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA 2024), AUDA-NEPAD has been “engaged in building the pre-requisites for the safe adoption and application of new and emerging technologies such as modern biotechnologies, gene drive, and genome editing considered as great potential for improving on strategic sectors including agriculture, environment, and health,” a concept note for the training explains.
According to the note, the training by AUDA-NEPAD through the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE), will build the required capacity in Africa to regulate the new emerging technologies, especially in the agricultural and health sector.
The aim of the training is to fill the information gap created by the “upsurge of misconceptions spread by activists and a strong opposition of the public opinion in various countries, which is hampering a full adoption of the emerging technologies.”
While the overall objective of the training is to “strengthen the capacity of key journalists specializing in biosafety communication to enhance their understanding of gene drive and genome editing”, the specific objectives are to: “Bring together the members of African Biosafety Communication Network for closer interaction and increased collaboration; Enhance their knowledge of the basics of emerging technologies, gene drive, gene editing, and biosafety; Introduce participants to the principles and best practices of biosafety communication and Agree on strategic steps to strengthen the network, especially adequate facilitation and participation in activities.”
The workshop is strategized to “strengthen the capacity of the members of the African biosafety communication network on biosafety communication on topics that will include global context of biotech and biosafety, the status of biotechnology and biosafety in Africa, emerging technologies like gene drive and genome editing, principles and best practices of biosafety communication, addressing myths and misinformation in African countries, dealing with anti-GM activists in the media etc.”
AUDA-NEPAD experts expected to present papers at the workshop include Dr Silas Obukosia, Mr. Samuel Timpo and Mr. Jean Keberé; and other resource persons are Mr Eric Okoree, Dr Moussa Savadogo, Dr Edgar Traoré.
