Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, is this week hosting the 2024 Annual Review and Planning Meeting (ARPM) of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB). The event has convened coordinators and communicators from OFAB chapters across 10 African countries, alongside some leading African scientists and science communicators, to strategise on addressing implementation gaps and emerging challenges in the adoption of agricultural biotechnology across the continent.
The countries are Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The meeting comes at a time when, despite a steady increase in the cultivation of biotechnology crops over the years, public understanding of the technology remains limited.
“The technology is still new to many people, not well understood, and there are significant information gaps,” observed Mrs. Gift Kadzimira, Director General of Malawi’s National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST).
“Biotechnology needs consistent information-sharing platforms to help stakeholders understand the technology and make science-based decisions amid negative propaganda and misinformation,” she emphasised.
Addressing Biotechnology Information Gaps
To bridge these gaps in Malawi, OFAB’s Malawi Chapter has established a platform that fosters dialogue among scientists, journalists, civil society, lawmakers, and policymakers, facilitating informed decision-making. This initiative aligns with “Malawi 2063,” the country’s new development blueprint, which prioritises agriculture as a key sector, that must be driven by research, science, technology, and innovation (RSTI).
Highlighting the significance of agriculture as the backbone of Malawi’s economy, Mrs. Kadzimira pointed out that the sector faces critical challenges, including limited land availability, declining soil fertility, inferior seed varieties, pest and disease outbreaks, and unpredictable weather patterns. She advocated for a multi-pronged approach to tackle these challenges, integrating conventional methods with advanced technologies, including modern biotechnology.
“Malawi has made significant strides in adopting modern biotechnology,” she noted, citing the establishment of key legal and policy frameworks, such as the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy (2008), the Biosafety Act (2002), and the Science and Technology Act (2003). These frameworks ensure the safe and responsible application of biotechnology, supporting the Malawi 2063 vision.
She announced that Malawi has commercialised genetically modified (GM) cotton and is conducting field trials for GM maize, banana, and cowpea.
Milestones in Biotechnology
Reflecting on these achievements, a message from OFAB’s Executive Director, Dr. Canicius Kanangire, urged chapter leaders to forge transformative partnerships across sectors to sustain and scale biotechnology conversations at national, regional, and continental levels.
Dr. Kanangire emphasised the need for stronger collaboration with all stakeholders including private sector entities, government agencies, and academic institutions. Supporting this call, OFAB’s Project Manager, Vitumbiko Chinoko, highlighted progress made over the past six years in enhancing public understanding and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology and creating enabling environments for decision-making.
In 2011, only six African countries had functional national biosafety frameworks (NBFs). By 2022, this number had doubled to 12, demonstrating significant progress in regulatory capacity and implementation. Among the notable gains, Rwanda became the 8th OFAB-implementing country to establish an NBF, and Ghana approved the Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea, becoming the second African country after Nigeria to do so.
Challenges and Opportunities
While these milestones are commendable, Vitumbiko acknowledged the persistent challenge of anti-GMO activism. Despite this, he noted that the advancements in biotechnology align with six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ending poverty (SDG 1), eradicating hunger (SDG 2), ensuring gender equality (SDG 5), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), implementing climate action (SDG 13), and revitalising partnerships (SDG 17).
Vitumbiko stated that, moving forward, OFAB will focus on strategic communication by renewing narratives, managing key issues, building networks, identifying new avenues for influence, and instituting an OFAB Open Day to celebrate science at the national level.
OFAB Media Awards
As the OFAB tradition goes, this year’s ARPM will be climaxed with the OFAB Media Awards on Friday, December 13. The awards recognise outstanding contributions by journalists in promoting agricultural biotechnology. In 2023, Ghana’s Lydia Ezit of the Graphic Communication Group won the Print and Online category, while Ethiopia’s Tinsae Habte of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) emerged as the overall winner.
By Ama Kudom-Agyemang
