Nairobi — The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has announced plans to partner with curriculum developers in the Country to capture aspects of biosafety when coming up with learning areas for students.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Nehemiah Ngetich, said the move is to ensure that learners appreciate the issues around biotechnology and biosafety at early stage for those who wish to pursue their careers in biotechnology.
"We now have a new curriculum, the competency -based curriculum (CBC) and therefore issues touching on biosafety need to be incorporated in," said Mr. Ngetich during an internal stakeholders engagement forum.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is tasked with development of curriculum for basic, tertiary sector while universities develop their own curriculum.
The government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda(BeTA), focuses on agricultural transformation and inclusive growth ,transforming the micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs) economy, housing and settlement, health care and digital superhighway and creative economy.
These pillars are all geared towards bringing down the cost of living among Kenyans eradicating hunger, creating jobs and improving Kenya's foreign exchange balance.
Kenya's Vision 2030 and the millennium sustainable development goals which were crafted on the science and mathematics courses are unlikely to be realized with less knowledge on biosafety and biotechnology.
The Authority also announced plan to step up engagements with county governments on ensuring safety of GMOs and their derived products in the Country.
He disclosed that the institution has received two more requests from two public universities for partnership in the area of research and development of biotechnology.
Last month High Court dismissed a case against lift of a ban on GMOs and their derived products re-affirming the Cabinet decision that lifted the ban on GMOs of 3rd October 2022 that Kenya has a robust legal and institutional framework to regulate GMOs.
The Authority has since assured Kenyans in general of the safety of the GMOs and their derived products in the Country.
He said Kenyan has a well-established legal, regulatory and institutional framework which provides for streamlined processes for persons dealing in GMOs and their derived products in the Country.
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M. Ngetich the framework outlines specific application requirements, safety assessment procedures and monitoring mechanisms which align to Kenya's commitment to food safety, environmental protection and the socio-economic wellbeing of its citizens.
The Authority's cope include; genetically modified plants, genetically modified Animals, animal inputs including veterinary vaccines and genetically modified micro-organisms.
