Weak laws put Africa at risk of bioterrorism, say experts

As more African countries adopt biotechnology in a bid to increase agricultural production, weak biosafety laws threaten to erode the gains made in the sector.

Concerns are emerging that unscrupulous scientists could sabotage the initiative in what has come to be known as bioterrorism — by producing harmful weapons that destroy food, cause environmental degradation or even death.

“These weapons could deprive crops of water or nutrients resulting in poor yields and eventually down play efforts aimed at marketing the products globally,” said John Opuda -Asibo, the first deputy vice chancellor of Kyambogo University in Uganda.

Biological weapons can infiltrate a country through various means including imports, food aid, medicines or planting materials.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa face the biggest risk due to weak plant and animal epidemiological infrastructure besides the lack of biosafety laws.

“We need to combat the use of biotechnology as a weapon. That calls for bioterrorism preparedness,” warned Prof Opuda -Asibo.

Climate change

According to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Planning and Co-ordination Agency, 33 per cent of land in sub- saharan Africa is under moderate drought, 25 per cent under severe drought while only 4 per cent is under irrigation.

Climate change could exacerbate the problem.

“We are not getting any extra land yet we need to increase food production by up to 300 per cent by 2050. We can only do this through the use of biotechnology,” said Diran Makinde, the director of Nepad Planning and Co-ordination Agency.

Currently the region records a 2.5 per cent annual increase in food production against a 3.4 per cent annual population increase.

He however, warned that African countries need to enact biosafety laws in order to prevent any eventualities.

Only 12 African countries have the national biosafety laws in place, a few have biosafety policies while 30 do not have anything at all.

The East African Community has a biosafety group.

Scientists are now calling on the African Union to come up with a law for the region.