GUSONS MEDIA NEWS

The 37th Annual International Conference of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN), tagged “Umudike 2025”, which held from Wednesday, 20th to Friday, 22nd August, 2025 at the National Root Crops Research Institute ( NRCRI ) Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria, rose weekend affirming that biotechnology is the indispensable catalyst for Nigeria’s national growth, food and nutrition security, wealth creation, health resilience, and environmental sustainability.

The Conference also posited that to solve local problems, build economic competitiveness, and avoid being left behind in the global technological landscape, Nigeria must proactively harness and invest in Biotechnology.

And that “to translate this potential into prosperity, the conference stated the need for urgent scaling of proven agricultural innovations, strategic investment in bio-manufacturing infrastructure, the implementation of proactive public health surveillance like Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) , and the enactment of science-driven policies” ..

It added that a concerted national effort to embrace the conference recommendations, “is imperative for building a self-reliant, resilient, and competitive bio-economy”.

With the Conference theme “Innovative Biotechnology for National Growth: Pathways to Food Security, Health and Environmental Sustainability”, the Conference targeted to address critical issues impacting the nation’s agriculture , solve local problems, build economic competitiveness, and avoid being left behind in the global technological landscape.

150 Abstracts in wide range of areas of biotechnology were pre-tendered for discussion during the conference that ultimately dealt with only five lead-papers, plus the Keynote paper.

In her opening address, the BSN President , Professor Sylvia Uzochukwu defined Biotechnology as a “Technology that uses biological Systems, living organisms or their parts to develop or create different products or services”.

She stated that BSN as a “conglomerate of members of primary professional societies who have interest in the tools of biotechnology, saying that in the last decades, Biotechnology became centered on the manipulation of the molecules of life – the nucleic acids DNA and RNA”.

She urged Nigerians to trust Nigerian Scientists in Agencies mandated to promote and regulate Biotechnology, stating ” Nigerians should remember that we, BSN, work closely with these agencies and would never keep quiet if Nigerians are hoodwinked in any way.

“We continue to appeal to government and other proprietors of other academic institutions, to pay researchers a living wage and sponsor them to conferences locally and abroad for the growth of knowledge and innovation in our country ”

In his welcome address, the NRCRI Executive Director / CEO, Professor Chiedozie Egesi, said that the pathways outlined in the Conference theme were precisely part of his NRCRI’s vision, adding that during the conference, the participants ” would share groundbreaking Researches, forge new collaborations, debate ideas more creatively, and chart the course for how innovative biotechnology can truly propel the nation’s growth”.

According to the NRCRI CEO (Professor Egesi) ” NRCRI works on resilient, high -yielding varieties that directly combat food insecurity, poverty alleviation and wealth creation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even as our sustainable agricultural practices and climate-smart activities promote environmental stewardship”.

On how NRCRI and Biotechnology have impacted themselves, he reported that for over a century, NRCRI has stood at the forefront of agricultural research, and is today driven by modern biotechnology, and making giant strides.

” Here at NRCRI, we are applying biotechnology to solve real problems, improving Cassava’s resistance to diseases, enhancing yam and sweet-potato for better nutrition, using molecular tools to respond to climate change and deploying tissue culture for faster, cleaner crop multiplication, thus, turning science into solutions that matter for farmers, markets and households”

The opening session of the conference had in attendance , diverse audience, comprising scientists, academics, farmers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and representatives from the private sector.

The session was Chaired by Prof James Chukwuma Ogbonna, the Vice Chancellor, State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Eno, Enugu State, but was represented by Professor Jerry Ugwuanyi.

Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee Dr. Joseph Onyeka, who is the NRCRI Director , Biotechnology and Product Development , said that about 150 Abstracts in various areas of Biotechnology were pre-tendered, and that the Conference was jointly hosted by Michael Okpara University of Agriculture and NRCRI.

Both institutions are located in Umudike Abia state, and have Professors Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe and Chiedozie Egesi, as the Vice Chancellor and Executive Director/ CEO, respectively.

Goodwill messages were also delivered by Mr Yarama Ndirpaya (of African Agricultural Technology Foundation-AATF), Prof. Anthony Okoh (Representating BSN BOT).

Other goodwill messages were presented by Representative of the DG-National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Dr. Oyedele Olusegun, Dr (Mrs) Chioma Oji-Nnorom, representative of DG Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Abuja.

USA based Dr Nwadiuto ( Diuto) Esiobu, a Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Founder & CEO, Applied Biotech Inc USA, presented the keynote address titled “Innovative Biotechnology for National Growth: Pathways to Food Security, Health and Environmental Sustainability”, which was also, the Conference theme.

Five other Lead papers were presented after the Keynote one , by other professionals namely; Dr. Ranjana Bhattacharjee, Senior Scientist – Molecular Breeder, IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria. Her Paper was on Agri-Biotechnology Innovations for National Food Security.

The second paper, Wastewater-based Epidemiology as early warning signs in pathogens outbreaks surveillance: Our experience with SARS-CoV-2, was presented by Prof. Anthony Okoh, Director, SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.

Mr Yarama Ndirpaya (AATF) of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), presented the 3rd paper tagged “Transforming African Agriculture through Technologies”.

Prof Charles Adetunji (Microbiologist and Director of Research & Innovation at Edo State University, Uzairue, Nigeria, presented the 4th paper on Bio-entrepreneurship for National Economic Transformation, while Prof. Tatfeng Mirabeau of Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Niger Delta University, Nigeria, presented the 5th paper on Innovations in Biotechnology for improved Healthcare, environmental sustainability, and Biosafety.

According to the Communique released after the conference, one of the Key Conference Observations was that Biotechnology is not merely a scientific field but the Hope of the Future. “It is essential for solving Nigeria’s most pressing challenges, ensuring food security in the face of climate change, combating endemic diseases, poverty alleviation, and building a resilient, self-reliant economy”

Another key observation, was that the proven success of homegrown solutions like PBR cowpea and TELA maize, alongside global advancements in AI and CRISPR, provides a clear roadmap for progress, that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the power of innovative tools like Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE), which (WBE ) provides a cost-effective, non-intrusive early warning system for pathogen outbreaks, capable of detecting community transmission, including from asymptomatic individuals, before clinical cases surge.

Describing this capability as crucial for preparing for future pandemics and managing endemic diseases, Conference further observed that Nigeria’s potential is hindered not by a lack of scientific talent or resources, but by critical gaps in infrastructure e.g, GMP manufacturing facilities, molecular labs for WBE), regulatory hurdles, and a policy environment that often lags behind innovation.

According to the Communique, while this is exacerbated by misinformation and the circulation of counterfeit agricultural products, which erode public trust and economic value, colonial mentality that favours importing finished goods, over creating indigenous solutions remains a significant barrier.

Hence, there is an urgent need to embrace a confident, sovereign approach to science that prioritizes strategic investment in local capacity, protects intellectual property, and commercializes Nigeria’s vast biological resources.
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Following these key observations, there were also Key Recommendations for National Action To harness biotechnology for tangible national prosperity.

In this regard, the conference urged for a concerted focus on these four strategic priorities namely ; Scaling Proven Agricultural Biotechnologies to Boost Food Security and Farmer Livelihoods, prioritizing the widespread adoption of high-yielding, climate-resilient crops like PBR cowpea and TELA maize to directly increase food production, stabilizing farmer incomes, and alleviating poverty by reducing losses from pests and drought.

Others are; investing Sovereignty in Bio-manufacturing Infrastructure for Value Creation and Health Security,   establishing local Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities and biomanufacturing corridors to produce essential bio-products, like vaccines, biofertilizers, and therapeutics, domestically.

This, the communique stated , captures economic value, creates high-skilled jobs, reduces import dependence, and positions Nigeria as a regional hub under the AfCFTA.

The recommendations included , implementing Proactive Public Health Surveillance Systems for National Resilience,  immediately establishing a National Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) program as an early warning system for pathogens to protect the workforce’s health, ensures economic stability by enabling faster responses to outbreaks, and integrating data for smarter public health.

Others were ; enacting Science-Driven Policies and Foster Collaboration to Build a Resilient Bio-Economy,  Creating harmonized, supportive biosafety and intellectual property laws to accelerate innovation, and simultaneously combating misinformation, mandating cross-sector collaboration, and investing in continuous human capital development to build a functional ecosystem where innovation can thrive from the lab to the market, were part ot the recommendations.

The Communique therefore concluded by affirming that “biotechnology is the indispensable catalyst for Nigeria’s national growth, food and nutrition security, wealth creation, health resilience, and environmental sustainability , and that
to translate this potential into prosperity, the conference urgently called for the sovereign scaling of proven agricultural innovations, strategic investment in bio-manufacturing infrastructure, the implementation of proactive public health surveillance like WBE, and the enactment of science-driven policies.

It stressed that concerted national, effort to embrace these recommendations is imperative for building a self-reliant, resilient, and competitive bio-economy.