Ebegba Visits ISAAA’s International Office in Nairobi, Kenya

By Young E. Freeborn, Warri

The DG/CEO of National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Eseoghene Ebegba, has paid a courtesy visit to the office of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and that of the Africa Agricultural Technology Fund (AATF) in Nairobi, Kenya.

This was after the NBMA DG held week-long meetings with the United Nation’s Open-Ended Working Group on Post 2020 Bio-diversity Framework.

The purpose of the visit was to strengthen bilateral relations on Biosafety issues between the two African countries.

The director of ISAAA, Margret Kerembu, while receiving the DG/CEO, applauded Dr. Ebegba for the progress made by Nigeria on Biosafety regulations so far. 

She said if other African countries emulate Nigeria, African Biosafety system will become a reference point globally.

Mrs. Margret Kerembu however enjoined Dr. Ebegba and his team to continue to stir up and strengthen the biosafety network of the country as, “it would stem down the level of security challenges in the country and also create jobs in the agricultural industry for our teeming youths.”

Responding, the CEO/MD of the National Bio-Safety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Eseoghene Ebegba thanked the Kenya office of the ISAAA for encouraging African farmers and various governments in the continent to invest heavily on agriculture.

Dr. Ebegba however described agriculture as the only source of survival in Africa and the rest part of the world in this 21st century.

He encouraged Africans to make use of the availability of modern and hi-tech technology and industrialization programmes in the agricultural sector.

The NBMA director-general ended his response with a promise to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Kenya as two African countries working assiduously to boost the level of biosafety network round the two countries to protect its citizenry. 

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