Recognizing biotechnology as a tool for sustainable development

Abstract

The last century has been largely driven by wealth of natural resources; however, more than ever before, knowledge, skills and intellectualism are now the driving force of current global wealth creation. The demonstration of this fact can be found with nations that have advanced their science and technology system and have adopted new technologies. Knowledge of space science, information technology and biotechnology in particular are been explored to narrow the divide between ‘have’ and ‘have not’ in these communities. The application of biotechnology is not new, it has been employed for centuries in the production of fermented foods such as gari, bread, beer, yoghurt, cheese and beverages such as wine. Modern advances in biotechnology hold great promise for addressing key challenges in agriculture, human health and the environment. Biotechnology, as with any new technology has its advantages and limitations; the application of modern biotechnology has highlighted its positive impact on agriculture, human health and the environment through increased crop yields, the reduced use of pesticides and herbicides, production of nutritionally enhanced foods and affordable vaccines. It is indeed an essential panacea to the pervasive poverty and food security problem in Nigeria. The debate about biotechnology continues because of, politics, trade and ethical
issues that have been raised in the public domain with little distinction being made between biotechnology as a tool and genetically modified (GM) crops and foods as products, leading to the intense controversy about the perceived risks to human health and environment. This highlights the importance of having biosafety regulations in place and ensuring that there is adequate in-country capacity so that all the necessary precautions are adhered to. The debate must shift to how this
technology can be adopted and deployed to benefit the nation and its citizens in such a way that the ecosystem is not threatened.

Keywords: Biotechnology, biosafety, wealth