National Biosafety Agency launches gene editing policy

Nigeria has launched its “gene policy,” to serve as guidelines to researchers and gene editors to ensure environmental and human safety.

Director-General, Nigeria Biosafety and Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba told stakeholders at the launch that, while it is a given, that genetical modification occurs naturally in an organism, the agency and the scientific community was not unaware of the fact that other human-induced modification takes place and would need to be regulated for the safety of man and the environment.

His words: “These are some of the products you process, such development falls squarely in the purview of the policy regulation.

“You must also understand that there are editing in nature. Gene editing takes place naturally.

“So it is on that note, that we have been able to look at the issues surrounding gene editing and came up with this guideline, which today.

“It will be available to members of the public, particularly the stakeholders, and the research community that will be saddled with the responsibility to ensure that they abide by the law.

“Our guidelines are very important. So it is important that these guidelines are followed to the letter, so, way we can have an organized research community and have an organized society.

“That we are sure that your products are safe with the environment and human health. The essence of this guideline is to give guidance to the process of adopting gene editing and also the handling of products of general teaching techniques,” Dr. Ebegba said

Country Representative, Biosafety Systems, Dr Matthew Dore country pointed out that the policy was a laudable game-changer for bio-safety activities in Nigeria.

He said the marked advancement that has come to diminish the fallacies, that were relied upon to move Biosafety backwards in Nigeria.

Sore stated that: “It is there for all scientists who wish to carry out gene editing. The safety of the product arising from gene editing is the focus of the guideline.

“I hope the National Biosafety and Management Agency would upload on the website so that it would be available to all to access and be professionally guided.

Those who think that biotechnology would experience a backward ride would be surprised by this advancement as the technology goes forward so would the agency be able to meet the new demand.

The stakeholder, from National Agency for Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Dr Rose Gidado, noted that Nigeria was the first country in Africa to make this kind of advancement of the emerging technology.

She said except for Ethiopia and Kenya, which have made some stride, “Ghana got her law before us in Nigeria but Nigeria has gone far with the new technology.”