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By Chinyere Anyanwu
Stakeholders have called for increased investment and urgent national action to scale agricultural innovations, invest in bio-manufacturing, strengthen public health surveillance and enact science-driven policies, warning that Nigeria risks being left behind in the global technological landscape if it ignores these measures.
The call was made recently at the 37th Annual International Conference of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) held at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Abia State, in collaboration with Michael Okpara University of Agriculture.
The three-day event was themed, “Innovative Biotechnology for National Growth: Pathways to Food Security, Health and Environmental Sustainability”.
In its communique, the conference noted that, “biotechnology is not merely a scientific field but the hope of the future. It is essential for solving Nigeria’s most pressing challenges, from food insecurity and endemic diseases to poverty alleviation and economic competitiveness.”
Over 150 abstracts were submitted, with lead papers delivered by experts from Nigeria, South Africa and the United States. The keynote lecture, presented by US-based Prof. Nwadiuto Esiobu, emphasised biotechnology’s role in securing the nation’s future through innovation in agriculture, health and environmental management.
In his goodwill message, Prof. Sylvia Uzochukwu, President of BSN, urged Nigerians to trust local scientists. “We work closely with regulatory agencies and will never keep quiet if Nigerians are hoodwinked. The government must also pay researchers a living wage and support their work, both locally and abroad,” she said.
In his welcome address, the NRCRI Executive Director, Prof. Chiedozie Egesi, stressed that the institute had already deployed biotechnology in developing resilient, high-yielding varieties of cassava, yam and sweet potato. “Here at NRCRI, we are turning science into solutions that matter for farmers, markets, and households,” he said.
Lead presentations covered agricultural biotechnology innovations, wastewater-based epidemiology for disease surveillance, biotechnology in African agriculture, bio-entrepreneurship, and biotechnology for healthcare and biosafety.
The conference noted successful homegrown solutions such as PBR cowpea and TELA maize as proof that Nigeria can lead in agricultural biotechnology if investment and supportive policy frameworks are strengthened. It also highlighted wastewater-based epidemiology as a cost-effective early warning system for disease outbreaks, urging its adoption nationwide.
However, participants lamented gaps in infrastructure, regulatory delays and policy inconsistencies that hinder biotechnology’s growth. They also cautioned against misinformation and the influx of counterfeit agricultural products, which undermine public trust.
To overcome these challenges, the conference recommended four urgent priorities: Scaling agricultural biotechnologies like PBR cowpea and TELA maize to improve food production and farmer livelihoods; investing in bio-manufacturing infrastructure, including GMP facilities, to domestically produce vaccines, biofertilisers and therapeutics; implementing wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a national surveillance system to protect public health and economic stability; and enacting science-driven policies that harmonise biosafety laws, protect intellectual property and foster collaboration between academia, industry and government.
The communique concluded that a “concerted national effort” is vital to build a resilient bio-economy, adding that, “to translate this potential into prosperity, Nigeria must urgently scale proven innovations, invest in biomanufacturing, implement proactive health surveillance and enact enabling policies,” it read.
Participants at the conference include dignitaries from the academia, government, civil society and the private sector, with representatives from NABDA, RMRDC, AATF, and other institutions delivering goodwill
