Tanzania will ‘play a key role in GMO science despite the propaganda’

Several African scientists who are knowledgeable about GMO science argue that contrary to ongoing anti-GMO propaganda the actual threat to Africa’s seed systems and agriculture is not GMOs but rather the fear of them.

Dr. Daniel Maeda, a Tanzanian cellular biologist and biotechnology expert, is one such scientist.

Dr. Maeda, who doubles as a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, recently stated on the BBC’s Kiswahili Service that East Africa should harmonize GMO regulatory requirements considering Kenya’s recent decision to lift a ban on GMOs and their importation.

Dr. Maeda believes that unfounded fears about GMOs and the use of genetic technologies should not stymie Africa’s agricultural development.

“The many unfounded and farfetched GMO fears in Africa are fueled by conspiracy theories from other parts of the world and some civil society organizations. Narratives such as GMOs cause cancer or may result in the extinction of indigenous seeds and plants are wrong and must be disabused.”

Learn more about this issue in a recent blog post from the Alliance for Science.