Kenya, Senegal Forge Stronger Biosafety Partnership on GMO Regulation
Kenya and Senegal have agreed to strengthen collaboration on biosafety regulation in a move aimed at enhancing the safe development and use of modern biotechnology across Africa.
The agreement was reached during a benchmarking visit by a Senegalese delegation to the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) in Nairobi, where the two countries explored opportunities for cooperation in regulating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), building technical capacity, and sharing regulatory expertise.
Speaking during the meeting, Acting NBA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ann Karimi said stronger partnerships among African biosafety regulators are essential as countries increasingly adopt biotechnology to tackle food insecurity, climate change, crop diseases, and environmental challenges.
She emphasized the need for Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between biosafety institutions to facilitate technical collaboration, particularly in risk assessment, noting that such cooperation would be guided by Kenya’s Data Transportability Policy.
Dr. Karimi said Kenya has established a comprehensive biosafety regulatory framework under the Biosafety Act, 2009, encompassing legislation, scientific risk assessment, compliance monitoring, public awareness, and stakeholder engagement. She noted that Kenya is ready to share its experience, lessons, and challenges with Senegal to support stronger biosafety governance across the continent.
According to Dr. Karimi, effective biosafety systems rely on sound legislation, technical expertise, institutional coordination, transparency, public participation, and sustained political and financial support. She added that the engagement would promote peer learning while strengthening confidence in science-based decision-making.
Potential areas of cooperation include technical exchanges, joint training, information sharing, capacity building, regulatory cooperation, public awareness initiatives, and collaboration in implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Leading the Senegalese delegation, Director General of Senegal’s National Biosafety Authority, Prof. Aliou Ndiaye, praised Kenya’s progress in biotechnology regulation, describing its legal and institutional framework as a valuable model for other African countries.
He noted that rapid advances in biotechnology present significant opportunities in agriculture, health, and environmental management, but require effective regulatory systems and continuous capacity building to ensure their safe application.
As part of the visit, the delegation will tour facilities at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), including research sites at Muguga and Kandara, to learn about GMO testing, confined field trials, and ongoing research on genetically modified potato and cassava varieties.
The benchmarking mission is expected to lay the foundation for long-term cooperation between the two biosafety authorities while contributing to stronger biosafety systems and biotechnology governance across Africa.
