NEWSROOM
Gates Foundation Funds DAI to Plan Biosafety Network in Africa
Author: DAI
Date: February 29, 2008

Through a one-year planning grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DAI is partnering with Michigan State University and The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to develop a plan to establish an African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE), an institutional support structure that will provide biosafety services to support national regulatory agencies as they make decisions concerning the safe use, deployment, and management of biotechnology products developed, imported, and adopted in Africa.

DAI will take the lead in developing the ABNE’s institutional development plan (including selecting the site and recommending the ABNE’s legal status, governance structure, and staffing needs); participate in the consultative process with stakeholders, including national and institutional biosafety committees, plant quarantine services, service providers, and donors; and help to inventory the biosafety resources, facilities, and expertise available in Africa and internationally.

The planning grant proposal will make clear how the ABNE responds to a real need—recognized by the African Union—to ensure that the continent has:

  • The capacity to assess if, when, and how biotechnology products may be judged to pose no safety risk to the environment or human health; and
  • The ability to regulate these biotechnology products using the latest science and applying global best practice.

    The DAI team leading the institutional development plan for ABNE includes Don Humpal, William Grant, Ingrid Ardjosoediro, and Christopher Reynolds. At the conclusion of the planning grant, DAI, Michigan State, and NEPAD will together develop a comprehensive five-year business plan to ensure the proper establishment, governance, operation, funding, and sustainability of the ABNE.

  • Return to List
      TAMIS Privacy Policy  Home
    About DAI |  Our Work |  Publications |  Careers at DAI |  Global Offices |  Contact Us |  Forum |