EMERGING AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS KEY FOR AFRICA’S SELF-SUFFICIENT- HERBALIST

NEW EMERGING SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGIES, INNOVATIONS KEY FOR AFRICA’S SELF-SUFFICIENT- HERBALIST 


By Alfonso Kasongo 

An Association for the herbalists in Zambia has welcomed the support the African Union Development Agency of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD)  is providing to create awareness on new emerging agricultural technologies such as genome-editing that aim at making Africa self-sufficient. 

The Traditional Healers Association of Zambia (THAPAZ) president Rodwell Vongo observes that Zambia and other African countries have the challenges in understanding and adaptating to the new emerging technologies.

And Dr. Vongo says the new emerging technologies and innovations especially genome-editing, are key in enhancing Africa's food security and reduced disease burden. 

In an interview, Dr. Vongo said that the AUDA-NEPAD support to Zambia and other five countries to develop gene editing communication strategies has come at the right time when the continent is faced with food insecurity and health threats due to climate change and the rising population.

Dr. Vongo (R) shaking hands with AUDA-NEPAD Supervisor for STI  Centre for Excellence Dr. Akinbo (C) while DSaT founder Veronica Mwaba looks on

The herbalist is hopeful that the communication strategies on the new emerging innovation will help to bridge the information gap and misconception.

Last week,a five-day consultative meeting with stakeholders drawn from government line departments, research and higher learning institutions, the media, faith-based organizations, traditional healers’ association and the private sector developed and drafted the Genome Editing communication strategy for Zambia.

In the quest to drive towards the "Aftica we want , Agenda 2063 ,"the AUDA-NEPAD Centre of Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation , one of  the five centres of excellence, which are the African Union’s  instruments for leveraging knowledge and science-backed innovations to support accelerated implementation of  Agenda 2063 is helping Zambia among six other African countries to put up strategies aimed at increasing awareness of the new emerging technologies such as gene editing. 



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