Country |
GMO R&D, field trials or commercial release |
Algeria
|
-Some R&D in biotechnology. No
promising research GM plants.
-Commercial release and importation of GM crops- None
-Still working on
Biosafety regulations.
-Legislation on GM products and organisms pending.
|
Egypt
|
- Has Biosafety Guidelines.
GM food.importation allowed under strigent food safety laws
– GM technology activities concentrated at AGERI (Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI)
R&D: GM maize, sugarcane, cotton, bananas, barley. Beans, pineapples, cucumbers, squash, melons potato; tomatoes; cantaloupe, wheat.
-No GM crops released or commercialized.
|
Lybia
|
R&D. None.
Little or no information on Biosafety or GMO legislation.
|
Morocco
|
-Working on Biosafety Regulations.
-R&D on GM tomatoes
|
Tunisia
|
R&D on GM potato No commercialization of GM crops.. Working on biosafety frameowrk |
Cameroon
|
Part of regional R&D aiming at cowpeas that is drought tolerant, resistant to viruses and insects.( see Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal .
-Legislation on biotechnology in draft form
|
Central African Republic
|
No R&D linked to GM. Biosafety regulations not ready |
Chad
|
No R&D or commercialization of GM crops and products...No biosafety guidelines |
Congo
|
No R&D or commercialization of GMOs plants |
Democratic Republic of Congo
|
No R&D or commercialization of GMOs. |
Equatorial Guinea
|
No R&D and no commercialization. No Work on Biosafety regulations. |
Gabon
|
No clear cut biosafety regulations. No R&D, and no commercialization of GMOs |
Djibuti
|
No R&D
-No commercialization of GMO
|
Eritrea
|
No R&D and no commercialization of GMOs to date. |
Ethiopia
|
Biosafety Guidelines not completed. .No commercialized GMOs . |
Kenya
|
Developing Biotechnology Policy and Biosafety Regulation
Has level II biosafety greenhouse. R&D on GM crops going on at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) includes GM sweet potato, Bt Maize resistant to stem borers, developing GM herbicide resistance in maize to combat the Striga weed. GM R&D extends to beans, cassava; cotton
Kenya accepted US maize and soy milk food aid in 2001 without restrictions
|
Madagascar
|
No biosafety Regulations. No biotechnology policy.No GM R&D. |
Sudan
|
No GM R&D. No, trials or commercialization of GMOs to date.. No biosafety regulations and no biotechnology policy. |
Angola
|
No R&D on GMO crops and no biosafety regulations. However, unmilled food aid like GM maize or others grains banned.. |
Bostwana
|
Biosafety regulations being developed. No R&D on GMOs |
Lesotho
|
No R&D on GM crops. No Biosafety guidelines.. |
Malawi
|
Has Biosafety Regulations. R&D on GM crops includes cassava., Bt cotton trials done.. GM maize and other grains must be milled. |
Mauritius
|
Has a strong GMO legislation. Finalizing biosafety regulations.
Developed two transgenic sugarcane varieties resistant to herbicides.
|
Mozambique
|
No R&D or commercialization of GMOs. Still working on biosafety guidelines. Allows milled GM grains during famine.. |
Namibia
|
Has Biosafety Policy while document on biosafety Guidelines is in draft form.
Has a GMO testing, training and research facility at University of Namibia.
R&D on GM crops includes pearl millet and there is linked to work in Ghana and South Africa..No commercialization of GMOs.
|
Seychelles
|
No R&D on GM crops Developing biosafety policy and regulations |
South Africa
|
The only country growing commercial GM crops.
Has a GMO Act, biosafety guidelines, Biotechnology Strategy and a Policy.
R&D and field trials: Leads Africa more active than Egypt. GM work extends to various plants vegetables, grains, fruits, trees, flowers, cereals, legumes and others. The list includes cotton, soybeans, maize, eucalyptus, banana, sugarcane, sorghum, millet and barley. groundnut potato, wheat; barley, sunflowers; cucurbits; cassava; apricot; peach; apple; grapes;
|
Swaziland
|
Developing Biosafety Guidelines. No known R&D, trials or commercial release of GM plants. |
Tanzania
|
Developing Biosafety Guidelines and Biotechnology policy..
R&D: bananas, trials of GM tobacco and Bt cotton
|
Zambia
|
Clear Biosafety Guidelines and Policy being developed.
R&D: cassava and cotton
|
Zimbabwe
|
Has Biosafety laws and regulations.
R&D
tobacco, cotton, maize, cowpea, sorghum, potato and tomatoes.
No commercialization of GM crops..
|
Benin
|
No Biotechnology Policy, Biosafety Guidelines or Regulation. However,banned GM imports
R &D
Drought tolerance, insect and virus resistance in cowpeas.
No commercial of GMOs..
|
Burkina Faso
|
GMO R&D
The Institut de l'environnement et de recherches agricoles (INERA) is collaborating on a ten year IITA funded research and development project on GM drought tolerance, insect and virus resistance in cowpeas. Other participating African countries include Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.
GMO field trials
In 2003, field trials of two Bt cotton varieties (Monsanto and Syngenta) were underway at research stations of the Institut Nationale de l'Environnement et de la Recherche Agronomique in Farakoba and Kouaré. In July 2003, Burkina Faso Fibre and Textile Company (SOFITEX), announced plans to embark on the production of GM cotton.
GMO commercial release
There are no known commercial releases to date. Along with other major West African cotton producing countries, Burkina Faso is under a lot of pressure from the US government and multilateral organisations to introduce GM cotton as quickly as possible.
Burkina Faso is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and has ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
|
Côte d'Ivoire
|
Little information available no commercialization of GM crops.. |
Ghana
|
Biosafety guidelines and biotechnology policy being developed.
GM R&D
Pearl millet. and cowpeas.
No commercialization.
|
Guinea
|
No biotechnology policy and needs to formulate biosafety guidelines or regulations.
R&D None. No commercialization of GM crops.
|
Guinea - Bissau
|
No biosafety framework. No commercialization of GM crops.. |
Liberia
|
No biosafety regulations or policy.
R&D:None. Minimal capacity.
|
Mali
|
Needs Biosafety guidelines and biotechnology policy.
R&D Cotton.
No commercialization of Gm crops..
|
Mauretania
|
Needs biosafety regulations or guidelines.
R&D: None.
|
Niger
|
Needs biosafety guidelines or regulations. Lacks biotechnology policy.
R&D Cowpeas. No
GM trials.
|
Nigeria
|
Has national biosafety guidelines and a national biosafety committee.
R&D
Maize, cassava, sweet potatoes. cowpeas, yam, cassava and banana.
No GM trials or commercializations..
|
Senegal
|
Finalizing biosafety regulations and biotechnology policy
GMO R&D
cowpeas.
No GM trials.)
|
Sierra Leone
|
No Biotechnology Policy, and Biosafety regulation still lacking.
R&D: None.
|
Gambia
|
No biosafety regulation or guidelines.
R&D: None.
|
