Biotech Updates

BioAWARE Kenya Trains Biotech Communicators

September 9, 2011

The Secretariat of the National Biotechnology Awareness Strategy (BioAWARE) in Kenya – the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), has trained a team of experts on communicating biotechnology and biosafety issues. The training workshop on September 5-7th 2011 aimed at equiping the experts with skills for engaging the public and conveying accurate and science-based information on all aspects of biotechnology in a consistent and coordinated manner. It was attended by a multidisciplinary team of 25 participants drawn from 11 institutions in both the public and private sectors.

This comes at a time when the country has published the implementing regulations for the Kenya Biosafety Act 2009, comprising of: Contained use, Environmental release and the Import, export and transit of  genetically modified organisms. In his remarks, the NCST CEO Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak pointed out that the public is anxious and want to know the safety of GM products and the capacity to manage the technology. "We have competent agencies and human resource capacity to facilitate safe and responsible use of this technology'' he said.

Participants appreciated the workshop and recommended regular updates on developments in agricultural biotechnology in the country to enhance understanding of all aspects of the technology. It was also recommended that BioAWARE should work closely with the mass media including use of vernacular and social media to ensure national reach.

The workshop was organized by BioAWARE Kenya in collaboration with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Africenter and the Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS). The mission of BioAWARE is to employ a participatory awareness creation process that will provide the Kenyan public with accurate and balanced information the use of biotechnology and its products for informed decision making.

For more information on BioAWARE and other Science, Technology and Innovation activities in the country, contact the CEO, NCST Professor Shaukat A. Abdulrazak at info@ncst.go.ke