Biosafety Communication Skills for NEMA Officers

A training course on strengthening the capacity of the Kenya National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) provincial directors and officers to communicate biosafety issues in modern biotechnology was held in Nairobi on 11-12 July 2011. Initial discussions revealed a high degree of ignorance, skepticism and misinformation on the benefits and potential risks associated with modern biotechnology. The course addressed the knowledge gaps and equipped the officers with the knowledge and skills to design and implement communication strategies tailored to the needs of various stakeholders.

NEMA is the principal government agency charged with the supervision, coordination and implementation of all policies relating to the environment. It is one of the key regulatory agencies designated in the Biosafety Act and expected to play a major role in decision-making concerning GMOs intended for introduction in the environment.

NEMA Principal Officer Programmes and Field Operations, Hildegard Wambayi Chessa said, the course was timely, as the global community is in the midst of rapid technological developments including modern biotechnology. The course placed the trained NEMA officers at a vantage position to sensitize the public from an informed and science-based point of view.

The participants recommended that a training of trainers (ToTs) approach for all the NEMA officers at various levels and the lead agencies should be supported to cascade downwards the knowledge and skills acquired in communicating and interacting with the public and the media.

The course was organized under a collaborative agreement between the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfriCenter, the Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS), and the National Biosafety Authority (NBA). .

For more details, contact Hildegard Wambayi Chessa at hwambayi@nema.go.ke.