Nigeria Adopts Guidelines on GM Plants with Stacked Genes

Biotechnology and biosafety stakeholders in Nigeria validated and adopted the national guidelines on the regulation of genetically modified (GM) plants with stacked genes on July 25, 2022, in Abuja. The guidelines provide guidance and information on the risk assessment and risk management requirements and procedures for plants with GM stacked events.

According to Dr. Rufus Ebegba, Director General-CEO of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), the newly adopted document will guide the NBMA in the evaluation of biosafety applications for GM crops with multiple genes, to ensure that the products from this technology are safe for human consumption and the environment. He stated that the guidelines will ensure that the genes in these GM products confer the expected benefits with no increase in risk compared to their conventional counterparts.

The guidelines were adopted during a meeting attended by officials of NBMA, Nigeria Customs Service, National Agricultural Seed Council, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, National Biotechnology Development Agency, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), Program for Biosafety Systems, University of Abuja, Federal Competition, and Consumer Protection Commission.

For more details, read the article on the AUDA-NEPAD website.