The Supervisor, Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation, African Union Development Agency, now known as AUDA-NEPAD, Dr Olalekan Akinbo, shares with TUNDE AJAJA why innovation in agriculture is crucial to Africa attaining its 2063 Agenda
At the instance of the African Union Development Agency, now known as AUDA-NEPAD, Nigeria hosted a six-day writing workshop and policy dialogue on Genome Editing technology to boost agricultural productivity on the continent, can you expatiate on this initiative?
The motivation behind this initiative was the need to increase crop productivity and economic growth on the African continent. From background information, agriculture is a widespread activity in Africa and that contributes significantly to the economy of the continent. But we realised that the per capita yield of crops in Africa is poor and it can be better. There is a difference between potential yield and actual yield. Potential yield is what a crop can produce based on its ability, while actual yield is what you get from your harvest. But there is optimal yield, which is to make that potential yield a reality. When a crop’s actual yield is lower than its potential yield, there is a problem. Genome Editing can help to address that, by enhancing that actual yield to be optimal. What the technology does is to help the plant maximise its inherent traits and character. With available technology, we can explore plants’ DNA. So, genome editing is the technology of using the information in the DNA of a plant to activate its dormant character that would help it to be healthy and more productive. To simplify it, let’s say Mr A’s father is tall, his mother is short, but he is of average height. Meanwhile, he has the trait that could either make him tall or short. If he wants to be tall, this technology will look at the character storing house, which is the DNA, and pick up that inactive character that should make him tall and make it active. That means the character is already in you but is not active. This modern technology will make it active.
Some people tend to confuse Genome Editing with Genetically Modified Organisms, what is the difference?
They are not the same principle. GMO can use DNA information from another plant and animal to help form another crop. But GEd is not external; what you need is already inside the plant. You are only using the information within the plant to help it to manifest that deficiency that it cannot make active by itself. There is what we call redundant DNA, so this technology can make the necessary DNA active.
When is the initiative scheduled to take effect so African countries can deploy it?
It’s a futuristic plan. It is an initiative and not a project. Projects come and go and it often appears like an external initiative funded by some people from outside. That is why the route we are taking is getting the respective member states in the African Union to drive it in partnership with the AUDA-NEPAD. So, it’s not a top to bottom approach but the other way round. To your question; presently, it’s only five countries that have something at the research level. The only country that has something on the field now is Kenya, because they have approved Genome Edited maize to be tried on the field without confining. In Burkina Faso, they have rice but it’s still in the lab. In Ghana, they have sweet potatoes, yet to get to the field. In Ethiopia, they have teff, which is a major crop there. It’s in the laboratory and not yet ready to go to the field. In Nigeria, they have cassava, and they are improving it for starch production, but it’s still in the lab. In South Africa, they also have cassava, but it’s still in the lab. In Uganda, they also have cassava but still in the lab. So, it’s African scientists using available resources in their laboratory to do this research. So, it is not GMO. We need to make that distinction. Presently, there is no GEd product in the market. The closest is the maize in Kenya. However, the ultimate goal is to commercialise these products, and that is critical to food security and wealth creation on the continent.
The African Union has the Agenda 2063 its member states adopted in 2015. How crucial is agriculture to the attainment of some of the goals of that Agenda, part of which is job creation, zero hunger and poverty eradication?
Agriculture will play a critical role for the Agenda 2063 to be achieved. In the Malabo declaration, it was agreed that one per cent of the GDP of every country should be devoted to the development of agriculture in the respective countries. One of the pillars of Agenda 2063 is Zero Hunger, and for no one to be hungry on the continent, Africa having a potent agrarian economy, we have the potential to produce our own food. We have rich soil, uncultivated land and every country has a particular crop they are known for. The potential to harness agriculture to fulfil zero hunger is here, but we can use technology to speed it up and the continent will be better for it. For instance, to get a cassava variety to every farmer, it takes a minimum of 15 years. It starts from one seed stand. These days, when you grow one cassava seed, you can use tissue culture to multiply them. So, we can use technology to speed up what we want.
How important is the communication strategy and policy dialogue?
The first part of the meeting was to develop a communication strategy on Genome Editing to the various stakeholders. When you communicate rightly and appropriately to the stakeholders and everybody gets the right information, it’s easier to run with the vision collectively and severally. So, the AUDA-NEPAD is supporting all the countries to have the right tool to communicate science in a way that every stakeholder will understand the benefits. The second part was the policy dialogue, which is critical. We brought six countries together; Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia, Eswatini and Nigeria, which is hosting the event. Nigeria is the host because of the roles it has played about the technology and the enabling environment it has created; policy, regulation, guidelines and scientists working on this technology. Among its other institutes, the National Root Crop Research Institute is working on Genome Edited cassava. Their scientists are trained and they have the capacity and the laboratory. Similarly, a lot of work is going on in other countries too. It’s to improve productivity that we apply fertilizer and insecticides, but in the case of this technology, we can reduce that external intervention to help the plant to use its own character to improve on its health and productivity. For emphasis, this is not imported; it’s our scientists working on this technology. When you have your best brains working on the crop of benefit for your people, you would see the benefits. Another advantage is that scientists on the continent would interact with themselves and not work in silos. We have the same template for this initiative and that is the essence of the policy dialogue. We will harness these varieties of inputs and opinions across the continent, harmonise them and proceed.
What effective tool is in place to ensure this technology is commercialised?
There is a triangle that is important for delivery of this initiative. The first part is about the scientists who are working to come up with innovations. But if the policy environment, which is the second part, is not right, the benefits, being the third part, will be elusive. If the two are in order, it translates to the improvement of livelihood. What we are after is that, let there be instruments that will aid communication and let it be led by the respective countries, led by the relevant government agencies so they can take ownership of it and ensure its implementation. If the initiative is developed by the experts in-country, it’s easier for them to adopt it and drive it. We as an organ of the AU are to support them to develop the tool that would help them to communicate accordingly to the right stakeholders.
