By Lawrence Olaoye
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday approved the graft Bill for an Act to establish the National Bio-technology Development Agency (NABDA) and other related matters and forwarded same to the National Assembly for legislative input.
The supervising minister of information, Nuruddeen Mohammed, who briefed newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC)’s meeting disclosed that the Minister of Science and Technology tabled a memorandum to seek Council’s approval to transmit to the National Assembly (NASS) a Draft Bill 2014, to establish the NABDA.
Since its establishment in 2001, he said, the Agency had operated without any legislation backing its existence. “In realisation of this and the challenges posed by lack of enabling law and omissions of basic provisions in the subsisting laws, necessitated the proposed Bill for enactment into law.”
“The Act will also ensure improved service delivery, efficiency and promote sustenance in the development and application of acceptable and profitable technologies through strategic investments in Biotechnology R&D to support innovation to the National Assembly for enactment into Law.
Council approved that the Bill for an Act to establish the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) 2014 be forwarded to the National Assembly for enactment into Law,” he said.
He also added that the Minister of Water Resources presented a memo seeking council’s approval for the ratification of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a consultation mechanism for the integrated management of water resources of the Iullemeden, Taodeni/Tranezrouft Aquifer Systems among seven countries located in the trans-boundary aquifer systems in the West and North Africa. The countries, according to him, are Algeria,Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.
The MOU will facilitate partnerships to address common environmental challenges including management of trans-boundary water resources and the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements, notably those addressing desertification, biodiversity and climate change.
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