The Director General/CEO, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha during a media parley recently said the agency is working to ensure the genetic transformation of livestock through artificial insemination for milk and meat improvement.
He said this was part of the agency’s contribution to increasing livestock quality and productivity through biotechnology, as this can help to alleviate poverty and hunger, reduce the threats of diseases and ensure environmental sustainability in Nigeria.
Prof. Abdullahi said 250 cows were identified and 152 were successfully inseminated, adding that “while we wait for the first generation this year, we are targeting 2,500 cows next year across the country.
Speaking on the achievements of the agency so far, the Director General however identified misinformation, disinformation, and fake news as key challenges confronting biotech development in Nigeria.
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“Purveyors of fake news and misinformation tend to undermine the salutary contributions of science, technology and innovation to national development. I implore you all as objective and fact loving purveyors of information, to do your utmost to keep informing and educating the public about the ethical and knowledge-based solutions of biotechnology. There is a need for Nigerians to know that biotechnology is mainly about the applications of biological organisms, systems, and processes by different industries to better understand the science of life,” he said.
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