ZAMBIA’S GENOME EDITING COMMUNICATION STRATEGY HITS SNAG

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…for now , it’s a grey area, we have only concentrated in developing the STI policy – says Jane Mubanga-Chinkusu

By Alfonso Kasongo

Zambia’s quest to embrace new agricultural scientific technologies and innovations such as genome-editing with the aim to boost productivity continues to face resistance despite fears of food insecurity due to impacts of climate change.

In December, 2022, with the support from Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF) and the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), Zambia began the process of developing a genome-editing communication strategy with the aim of disseminating information on the importance of the new biotechnology technique,as well as removing myths triggered by the 2001 controversial debate on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) maize in the country.

A five-day stakeholders consultative meeting, which included biotechnology experts, health experts, representatives from the religious, civil society, academia and the media convened in Lusaka to devise the communication strategy.

However, government has confirmed that nothing has been done to spearhead the process to conclude and validate the strategy, a year after a document was drafted and submitted for consideration.

In an interview with Ministry of Technology, Science and Innovation, government discloses that as of now,” the development of the communication strategy is a ‘grey area’.

 

Director Technology Science and Innovation, Jane Mubanga-Chinkusu says government has not agreed with its key quasi departments, which of them will spearhead the process.

Ms. Mubanga-Chinkusu adds that her ministry has only concentrated on developing the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy.

“From the ministry, we have not been working on the communication strategy because we are doing the STI policy,” Ms. Mubanga-Chinkusu said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mubanga-Chinkusu emphasises that it is not possible for the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) to spearhead the process as it was a regulator of biosafety in the country adding that the possibility is therefore, left with the National Science and Technology (NSTC).

But when contacted for a comment, NSTC could not be reached at press time.

And Ms. Mubanga-Chinkusu clarifies AUDA-NEPAD’s participation in the process saying the AU science, technology and innovation branch was merely educating Zambia on the possibility and importance of having such innovative technologies in the agriculture sector.

Unlike the GMO process which involves the introduction of organism that possesses a novel combination of genes, genome-editing uses targeted specific manipulation by knocking out or replacing targeted genes within the organism, which results in model organisms with intentionally selected and desired traits.
Conversely, transgenic technology randomly integrates foreign Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into the genome of a model organism in order to introduce new traits.

ENDS///Pix