Prof Olalekan Akinbo, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) expert says Nigeria regulates the technology of genome editing (GEd) and its by-products on a case-by-case basis.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that genome editing is a technique used in making precise modifications to the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of a cell or organism.
Akinbo, Technical Lead, Genome editing initiative, AUDA-NEPAD Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday
NAN also reports that the regulation on a case-by-case basis means that a rule, law, or policy is applied differently to each individual situation, taking into account the specific details and circumstances of that particular case.
This is different from applying a one-size-fits-all approach.
Akinbo explained that regulators emphasised the importance of addressing safety concerns along with ethical and societal implications associated with genome editing experiments or activities.
He noted that the introduction of innovative technologies, such as genome editing, was often accompanied by both perceived benefits and potential adverse effects on human health and the environment.
According to him, this duality has resulted in heightened demands for food and feed safety thorough environmental risk assessments.
”Specifically, genome editing products that do not involve a novel combination of genetic material are classified and regulated as genetically engineered organisms (GMOs).”
The AU expert, who spoke on national regulatory policies for genome editing in Africa pointed out that the diversity in regulatory approaches was also evident in other African countries.
He noted that Burkina Faso was still in the process of developing its policy and regulatory framework for genome editing.
”Nonetheless, it is recognised that organisms and derived products resulting from genome editing may in certain cases be categorised as genetically modified products within the legal framework.
”In contrast, South Africa mandates that all new plant breeding techniques (NBTs) undergo the same risk assessment processes as GMOs.
”Meanwhile, countries like Eswatini, which have not developed specific guidelines for genome editing, continue to regulate GEd products based on the definitions of GMOs provided in their existing legislation,’’ Akinbo said.
NAN