The African Centre for Biodiversity has published a new briefing examining the development of NGTs in Africa, building on their previous research on deregulation of genome-editing techniques (available here: https://acbio.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Genome-Editing-Fact-Sheet-2_fin-1.pdf).
In this briefing, the ACB find that:
“Countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso have adopted product-based guidelines that exempt many genome-edited crops from GMO regulation if no foreign DNA is present in the final product. This opens a regulatory back door for fast-tracking field trials and potential commercialisation, often without robust public consultation, transparency, or independent risk assessment.
While proponents promote genome editing as a silver bullet for food security and climate resilience, there is little evidence that these technologies are delivering tangible benefits to African farmers. Most projects remain in the laboratory or limited trials, and the pipeline of viable crops is thin.
The paper details current regulatory frameworks, country-by-country project updates, and the key funders and institutions backing genome editing on the continent, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Corteva Agriscience, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. It also sets out critical concerns: risks to seed sovereignty and biodiversity, corporate control through intellectual property, and the erosion of precautionary biosafety systems.”
Read about it here: https://acbio.org.za/gm-biosafety/dont-need-genome-editing-to-ensure-africas-food-sovereignty/
