World Bank funds francophone West Africa biosafety protocol

Eight West African countries have received $9.3 million from the World Bank's West Africa Regional Biosafety Project. The money is to assist the French-speaking countries to establish and implement a shared biosafety regulatory framework.

The countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. The biosafety framework will enable them to meet their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB).

"This is a key milestone that will have a dramatic impact for over 10 million households in the region who rely on farming for their livelihoods. The programme will contribute to the region's development while protecting biological diversity and human health. The money will also help countries meet recognised international standards for assessing risk associated with genetically modified organisms," said Global Environment Facility CEO and chairperson, Monique Barbut.

"We are delighted that the project has been endorsed. A harmonised regional biosafety framework will not only benefit individual countries to comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity but also build critical biosafety capacity across the entire WAEMU region," said Soumaila Cisse, president of the WAEMU Commission that is implementing the project.

The Programme's three components are: • Evaluating existing tools and guidelines used in WAEMU member states for risk assessment and management, and consolidating them to develop regional common approaches that meet recognised international standards in risk assessment of GMOs/LMOs. A national reference laboratory, with a mandate for regional support, will be established in Burkina Faso.• Strengthening institutional capacity for preparing regional laws and regulations on biosafety, and creating an institutional framework to accompany the dissemination and implementation of the regional biosafety framework in WAEMU countries• Providing support to WAEMU countries that have ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB); strengthening capacities of stakeholders such as producer organisations about national and regional regulations and their implications for the environment and socio-economic development, and raising public awareness about the importance of biosafety at the country and regional levels.

allafrica.com