The National Biosafety Management Agency is working to ensure a robust biotechnology reference by 2026, according to the director-general, Bello Bawa Bwari.

Mr Bwari stated this at the opening ceremony of the Regulatory Study Tour by the Senegal National Biosafety Authority on Tuesday in Abuja.

“We are planning, hopefully, by the end of 2026, to have the most robust biotechnology reference in the laboratory, which we intend to match with what we find in Europe. Here at the National Biosafety Management Agency, our focus for 2026 is going to be enhancing our national bio-intelligence system so nothing goes unnoticed, nothing goes unchecked.

“We are also moving and pushing forward towards having a national biosafety, biosecurity monitoring, evaluation and surveying system.
“We are hoping that by January 2026 we will be able to launch this initiative,” Mr Bwari said.

Mr Bwari stated that NBMA would not be dependent on European certification and expressed optimism that, by the time the laboratory is established, Europe will also depend on NBMA for certification.

“This is an audacious move to prove that Africa has a lot of edge, and we can also do this; it is coming at a time when Nigeria is taking a quantum leap in sciences. The very essence of these agencies, both in Nigeria and Senegal, is to ensure that rough scientists do not have their way through. This is not only a study tour, but it’s also a diplomatic interaction for the country,” he said.

Aliyu Ndiaye, executive director of the Senegal National Biosafety Authority, said that the rapid evolution of modern biotechnologies and their applications (genetic transformation, genome editing, gene drive, etc.) was now well established.

“Consequently, the African states must integrate this global reality in order to take advantage of the ongoing transformation in the fields of agriculture, health, and the environment. To this end, continuous capacity building within our institutions is essential in order to derive maximum benefit from these modern biotechnologies and their applications.

“That is why we are here, to exchange ideas and learn from your strong experiences in the field of biosafety. We are sure that, at the end of this mission, the staff of Senegal’s National Biosafety Authority will see their institutional and technical capacities strengthened in terms of good biosafety practices developed by your agency,” Mr Ndiaye said.

In an address of welcome, Scholastical Bello, acting director of Research and Planning, said that NBMA was established to ensure that the development, handling, transfer, and use of GMOs are safe for humans, the environment, and our biodiversity.

“In line with these mandates, NBMA continues to strengthen each system through evidence-based regulation, stakeholder engagement, and continuous learning values firmly aligned with today’s collaborative decisions,” Ms Bello explained.

She stated that the presence of the Senegal biosafety agency reflects a shared commitment to advancing safe innovation in biotechnology, promoting regional regulatory coherence, and uniting the capacity to guide Nigeria’s population through sound biosafety governance.

“This is all that is needed to build a long-standing relationship and friendship between Nigeria and Senegal, to promote stronger regulatory capabilities, and open new avenues for bilateral and multilateral collaboration with the ECOWAS framework and beyond it,” Ms Bello stated.

(NAN)