By Onche Odeh
The government of Malawi has set the stage to accelerate the upscaling of its Biosafety laws by giving life to all sessions reflected in the Act.
To this effect, the country’s Ministry of Natural Resources, through the Environmental Affairs Department has constituted the National Biosafety Regulatory Committee (NBRC) established under Regulation 3 of the Biosafety (Management of Genetically Modified Organisms) Regulations of 2007, to support the implementation of the Biosafety Act of 2002.
In May 2000, Malawi signed the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and ratified it in 2009, and followed up with the approval and establishment of a national biotechnology and biosafety policy by the Malawi Cabinet on 26th June 2008.
Only recently, the NBRC Committee was inaugurated to advance the implementation of accompanying Act promulgated to advance biosafety in the country.
The NBRC’s role is to oversee the safety of human health and the environment under the Biosafety Registrar’s office in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change.
The NBRC comprises fourteen members from various sectors and institutions, including Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Trade, Gender, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS, Justice, Labour, the Department of Forestry, Parks and Wildlife, Malawi Police Services, Malawi Bureau of Standards, Consumers Association of Malawi, Malawi Revenue Authority, and the Coordination Union for Rehabilitation of the Environment (CURE).
Members of the committee have undergone an orientation to equip them to effectively carry out their roles of enforcing the Biosafety Act by familiarizing them with existing laws and regulations, and enhancing their understanding of how these laws contribute to Malawi’s National Agricultural Strategy.
Meanwhile, the committee has been given a primary responsibility to review applications related to the use, development, and importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and make recommendations to the Minister responsible for the Environment.
To highlight the urgency for the orientation given to the committee members, the government of Malawi has received an application for Multi Location Field Trials (MLFT) from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in November.
