Ouagadougou: The National Biosafety Agency (ANB) organized on Wednesday a workshop to popularize the regional regulation for the prevention and management of risks linked to living modified organisms (LMOs) for the environment, health human and animal .
‘This regional regulation applies to any use, including cross-border movements, transit, handling of living modified organisms and/or derived products likely to have adverse effects on the environment, sustainable conservation of biological diversity, as well as human and animal health, ‘ declared the representative of the Minister in charge of Higher Education, Dr Alain Ouédraogo.
Dr Alain Ouédraogo spoke on Wednesday in Ouagadougou during a workshop to popularize the regional regulation relating to the prevention of biotechnological risks in the ECOWAS region.
Since September 23, 2023, a common regulation relating to the prevention of biotechnological risks in the ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS areas has come into force.
According to Dr Alain Ouédraogo, the ado
ption of this regulation will allow the competent national authority to broaden its field of action by taking into account biorisks and derived products from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and to be able to regulate emerging technologies.
Dr Ouédraogo also informed that for its proper functioning, each party to the protocol should put in place an institutional, administrative and legal system to prevent and manage the potential risks posed by LMOs for the environment, human and animal health.
For him, ‘given the impacts that LMOs can have on social, economic and sustainable development, it is essential that the West African region adopts a concerted approach in order to better understand and control the uses of these new technologies’.
He also urged participants to actively participate and have fruitful exchanges, all of which will allow them to take ownership of the regional regulations.
As a reminder, the National Biosafety Agency is a structure that supports the socio-economic development of the
country and the well-being of Burkinabè people through efficient and transparent regulation of biotechnology.
The Director General of the ANB, Dr Koussao Somé, stressed that this was a significant step forward.
‘We are working on genetically modified mosquitoes, Target Malaria. A mosquito can move from one country to another. This regulation already allows discussions between countries in the region before the final authorization of a technology linked to biotechnology,’ added Dr Somé.
He welcomed the establishment of a regional scientific committee which will recruit real experts in this field.
Source: Burkina Information Agency