AfriPulse
The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), in collaboration with CGIAR Genebank Accelerator, national and international partners, last week converged on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for a two-day capacity building workshop on strengthening the capacity of national institutions for Implementing and Use of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).
The workshop, held at the conference hall of NACGRAB, featured virtual and physical participants from NACGRAB, Alliance Bioversity-CIAT (International Centre for Tropical Agriculture), International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Universities, Research Institutes such as the National Horticultural Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, policymakers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other relevant stakeholders.
At the end of series of deliberations and elaborate discussions, participants came up with ways to fast-track approval and implementation of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing in Nigeria.
They listed expansion of awareness to include Universities and other tertiary institutions, NAERLs for extension services and other agricultural-related agencies. Publicise NACGRAB’s gene bank activities through social media platforms. They, however, posited that caution should be taken regarding information sent out to avoid misinterpretation of intention.
Through a communique, the meeting recommended awareness creation to the policy makers, research institutions, NGOs, farmers, traditional rulers, and legislators on the importance of MLS should be initiated and strengthened in cases where they are available by NACGRAB.
NACGRAB is encouraged to attend, present and distribute posters on the benefits of MLS at conferences organised by relevant professional organisations. The meeting also tasked NACGRAB to work with the relevant stakeholders to advocate special funding for a targeted Genebank optimisation project from the Federal Government outside the normal budget system.
Participants at the workshop urged development partners to continuously build the capacity of a
Source: TribuneOnlineNG | Read the Full Story…
