OFAB-GHANA EDUCATES TAMALE STUDENTS ON BIOTECHNOLOGY

About 80 selected students drawn from 8 senior high schools within the Northern Region have benefited under a 1-day sensitization workshop on Biotechnology at the Nyankpala campus of the University of Development Studies in Tamale

They were ten participants each drawn from eight selected schools within Tamale, Tolon and Kumbungu respectively in the Northern Region. 

“It was fashioned to sensitize students on job prospects in the field of Biotechnology and to encourage them to enroll in the subject for a better future” Dr. Margaret Ottah Atikpo, Focal Person of OFAB-Ghana Chapter has said.

Biotechnology is the use of scientific methods to produce genetically modified food crops that are more pest, disease and drought resistant and with short maturity periods. It is a technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives to make or modify products or processes for specific uses.

The technology unfortunately has suffered setbacks with controversies surrounding its introduction in Ghana since 2013 after the government announced it.

Anti-GMOs groups and some individuals have raised concern about its safety encouraging Ghanaians to stand up against its introduction into the country’s food chain.

They’ve claimed that accepting it will amount to “seed colonisation and seed slavery” which OFAB - Ghana has rejected vehemently

This worrying trend has affected the technology in diverse ways including its study   as subject in schools by students.

But addressing 80 selected senior high students at the workshop, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye, in his keynote address advised students to adopt the study of Biotechnology as it has a lot of job prospects for them after school.

According to him, enrolling more students to study the biotechnology subject in the Universities would help a long way in boosting agriculture, address the country’s food security challenges and improve incomes of farmers.

Dr. Margaret Ottah Atikpo, Focal Person of OFAB-Ghana Chapter also a Deputy Director of CSIR told Joy News in an interview that the time has come for Ghanaians to make good use of the modern agricultural biotechnology as it has the potential to make significant contribution to food security, poverty reduction and environmental conservation, urging the students to enroll on the biotechnology course for a better future.

A former Director General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana (CSIR), Prof. Walter Sandow Alhassan, laments most people in the Ghana, especially students are oblivious of the vast job opportunities embedded in the study of 

Biotechnology therefore they find it difficult to read the subject. He therefore called on students to show more interest and be committed explaining to them about the benefits at stake in pursuing the Biotechnology course in the highest academic level.

“I want to tell you now on authority that studying Biotechnology in School has many job opportunities to offer. For instance anyone who studied it could be a teacher, a researcher in clinical and industrial areas, as well as a pharmacist, just to mention a few, I will therefore encourage you to take advantage” he added.

 “Biotechnology had given rise to a new technology for the production of food and other energy sources” Dr I.D.K Atokple A retired scientist at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) has said in his presentation.

He said it was time the country embraced Genetic Modified (GM) crops since they were very beneficial to farmers, and desist from saying GM foods were poisonous to the human body.

The Head of Department of Biotechnology at the UDS, Professor Albert Kojo Quainoo, in an interview Journalists said four years after the passing of the Biosafety Law (Act 831), it still needed more education and patience to convince the populace about the relevance of Biotechnology.

He said although the journey had not been easy, he was optimistic that it was going to be recognized and accepted by all in the next 20 years, and the benefits would be enormous.

The participating schools were; Kalpohin Senior High School, St. Charles Senior  High School, Tamale Islamic Senior High School, Tamale Senior High School, Tamale Girls Senior High Schools ,Ghana Senior High School, Tolon Senior High School and 

Kumbungu Senior High School. 

The forum was organized by the Ghana Chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in collaboration with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana.

The CSIR is currently undertaking confined field trials of Genetically Modified foods including Bt Cowpea, Bt Cotton and improved rice to test them ahead of their introduction into the country’s food chain.