February 22, 2024
Nigeria is set to organise and host the first ever international conference on biotechnology second quarter of the year courtesy of the National Biotechnology Development Agency(NABDA).
Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director General of the NABDA, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the agency under his leadership, was resolute in changing the narrative by continually producing and bringing something new to the table for the benefit of Nigerians.
“That is why we are organising this international conference on biotechnology in July where people across the globe will come to display what they are doing in their county.
“NABDA will also showcase what we are doing and had been doing to engage all our people in the country,” he said.
The NABDA Boss stated that the conference was more than an academic symposium.
He explained that the intent was a call for global participation from sectors spanning industry, environment, academia, private organisations, health, genomics and bioinformatics as well as agriculture.
Mustapha clarified that the conference would be looking at advancements while exploring collaborations in biotechnology.
He said the aim wasn’t just about hosting a conference of such magnitude, but that the idea represented a broader vision of fostering a community that thrived on knowledge sharing and collective progress.
He reiterated that the essence was to enhance collaborations by building on the synergy of the conference to drive growth, productivity among others.
He hinted that the process was already progressive when he inaugurated a committee to that effect.
“Also, that is why I’m changing the policy on biotechnology.
The Nigerian policy on biotechnology was prepared in 2000. and I have seen that it’s about time, after 22 years to effect a change.
“This is imperative because the world is moving fast from what was regarded as the norm to a certain level of precision amd accuracy in terms of investigations and deliverables, ” he said.
He said that waiting or looking at what was done 20 years back was a total waste of time.
He added that instead, the vision was to stay up to date with the momentum of the world in terms of biotechnology.
The D-G stressed that Nigeria was up to the task in meeting up with the advanced world of biotechnology as the country boasted of scientists and experts.
“That is why we are doing the National Policy on Biotechnology because Nigeria should be looking at international community, not just West Africa or Africa.
“Hence, whatever document we’re going to produce is going to look at Nigeria and project it in the next five to 20 years.
” This policy is what will drive Nigeria’s biotechnology to success, ” Mustapha said.
NAN reports that as part of effort’s to shape the future of biotechnology in Nigeria, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, on February 20th, inaugurated the secretariat for the National Biotechnology Policy Review Committee (NBPRC).
For more than two decades, the National Biotechnology Policy provided the foundation for NABDA’s efforts in biotechnology.
However, with the evolving nature of biotechnology and pressing need for a dynamic policy framework that aligns with contemporary challenges and opportunities, it became necessary to inaugurate the secretariat for robustness.
The secretariat is to drive the implementation of the national biotechnology policy review framework, fostering synergy and enhancing communication among stakeholders. (NAN)
