UBIC Conducts Dialogue on Biotech with Religious Leaders

A total of 30 religious leaders from Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda, visited the Uganda Biosciences Information Centre (UBIC) on November 17, 2014 to be acquainted with the biotechnology work of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). The religious leaders had an open dialogue with scientists on issues related to biotechnology in Uganda, in light of the proposed Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill which is being debated in the Uganda Parliament. Participants raised a number concerns related to seed sovereignty and patenting GM technology, regeneration of GMO crops, safety of biotech products, and the need for more information on biotechnology for the public. 

Head of the Root Crops Program at NARO, Dr. Titus Alicai, stressed that current research on GM crops conducted by NARO is addressing challenges which conventional breeding methods have so far failed to solve. "At the moment there is no solution to diseases such as Banana Bacterial Wilt Disease which is affecting our bananas (matooke) in Uganda. But through biotech research, we have developed varieties that are 100% resistant to the disease," Dr. Alicai said.

The religious leaders also visited the biotechnology and tissue culture laboratories at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Namulonge before touring Banana Program at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories, Kawanda.

According to Canon Joseph Oneka- Head of Human Rights and Good Governance at UJCC, the dialogue and field tour were significant in helping the religious leaders to better understand the role of biotechnology. They welcomed an invitation to attend the monthly dialogues organised by the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology in Kampala and the regional engagements.

For more information about biotechnology developments in Uganda, contact Anita Tibasaaga at atibasaaga@gmail.com.