By Sylvester Thompson

Prof. Olalekan Akinbo, Scientist at African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) says effective policies must address key issues such as biosafety, intellectual property rights, and public acceptance.

Speaking via a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, he said these were with guidelines provided by the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety and national biosafety laws.

He said science policy specifically focuses on actions intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public investment in research.

“The policy landscape for genome editing features a dynamic interaction among policy, science, and practice, forming a triangle that ensures technology development aligns with societal needs and ethical considerations.

“At global and continental levels, regulatory frameworks play a crucial role in the safe and ethical application of genome editing,’’ he said.

NAN reports that genome editing is a method for making specific changes to the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of a cell or organism.

Akinbo is the Technical Lead, Genome Editing Initiative of the AUDA-NEPAD Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation.

He said that as scientific advances in Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), and other genome editing tools continued, fostering collaboration between researchers and policy makers was essential.

Akimbo said such collaboration would ensure that scientific developments align with policy objectives.

NAN reports that CRISPR is a revolutionary gene-editing technology derived from a bacterial defence system.

It allows scientists to precisely target and modify specific DNA sequences within living cells and organisms, with potential applications ranging from treating genetic diseases to improving crops.

Akinbo said that to facilitate adoption and economic impact of genome editing technologies in Africa, pragmatic extension services, education, and training programmes are critical for equipping farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills.

“Furthermore, public awareness campaigns can help build public trust and acceptance.

“The continental and global development frameworks, including Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 of ″The Africa We Want, ″ recognises the urgent need to eradicate hunger,’’ he said.

He said that specifically, SDG Goal 2, as established by the United Nations in 2015, aimed to eliminate hunger, ensure food security, enhance nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

The scientist said that in parallel, goal six of aspiration one of agenda 2063 emphasised modernisation of agriculture to achieve higher productivity and production levels.

“Additionally, the 10-Year Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) prioritised utilsing science, technology, and innovation to eliminate hunger and achieve food security (STISA).

“Given this context, Genome Editing (GEd) presents a timely opportunity for boosting agricultural output in Africa and address the ongoing issue of food insecurity,’’ he said.

Akinbo said that in 2022, the African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technology (APET) developed the Policy Framework for applications of GEd in African agriculture.

He said member states were provided with guidelines for the technical and safe use of genome editing technology.

The expert further disclosed that APET recommended that government regulatory policies should facilitate the evaluation of genome edited products, by assessing their resemblance to natural products or conventional breeding techniques.

According him, this includes evaluating GEb products that involve specific genetic changes, such as gene knockouts and deletions. (NAN)

Edited by Franca Ofili/Joseph Edeh