Biotech experts urge scaling of technology for food security
By Sylvester Thompson
Experts at the 37th Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) Conference have called for scaling proven agricultural biotechnologies to boost food security and farmer livelihoods.
The experts emphasised the urgent need to prioritise the widespread adoption of high-yielding, climate-resilient crops such as PBR cowpea and TELA maize.
They said such crops were capable of greatly increasing food production, stabilising farmer incomes, and reducing poverty.
In a communiqué signed and issued on Sunday in Abuja by Prof. Sylvia Uzochukwu, President of the BSN, participants outlined key recommendations aimed at harnessing biotechnology for national development and prosperity.
They stressed the importance of sovereign investment in bio-manufacturing infrastructure.
They also highlighed the need for the establishment of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities and biomanufacturing corridors to enable domestic production of essential bio-products, including vaccines, biofertilisers, and therapeutics.
According to the communiqué, such efforts will help capture economic value chains, generate high-skilled jobs, reduce reliance on imports, and strategically position Nigeria as a regional biotechnology hub under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The conference also called for the implementation of proactive public health surveillance systems, including the immediate establishment of a national wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) programme to serve as an early warning system for emerging pathogens and public health threats.
“This protects the workforce’s health, ensures economic stability by enabling faster responses to outbreaks, and integrates data for smarter public health.’’
The experts said government should enact science-driven policies and foster collaboration to build a resilient bioeconomy, as well as create harmonised, supportive biosafety and intellectual property laws to accelerate innovation.
“Simultaneously, combat misinformation, mandate cross-sector collaboration, and invest in continuous human capital development to build a functional ecosystem where innovation can thrive from the laboratory to the market,’’ the communique read.
The 37th BSN Conference affirmed that biotechnology was the indispensable catalyst for Nigeria’s national growth, food and nutrition security, wealth creation, health resilience, and environmental sustainability.
Accordingly, the conference urgently called for a concerted national effort to embrace these recommendations which was imperative for building a self-reliant, resilient, and competitive bioeconomy.
Among key observations recorded was that biotechnology was not merely a scientific field but the hope of the future, essential for solving Nigeria’s most pressing challenges.
Such challenges of ensuring food security in the face of climate change, combating endemic diseases, poverty alleviation, and building a resilient, self-reliant economy were mentioned.
Also, that Nigeria’s potential was hindered not by a lack of scientific talent or resources, but by critical gaps in infrastructure like GMP manufacturing facilities, molecular labs for WBE, regulatory hurdles, among others.
The 37th annual BSN conference, which held between Aug.20 and Aug. 22, was tagged “Umudike 2025”.
Its theme was: Innovative Biotechnology for National Growth: Pathways to Food Security, Health and Environmental Sustainability, aimed at addressing critical issues impacting agriculture in the nation. (NAN)
Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa
Published By
- Agriculture and Environment Desk Controller/Website Content Manager.
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