In response to uncertainty surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), some countries have decided to implement bio-safety laws. These restrain consumption of genetically modified foods and safeguard the environment against contamination of natural seeds including important ones such as maize.
Zambia is one of the countries wary about scientifically altered foodstuffs and seeds. In 2003, the Zambian government rejected genetically modified maize donated by the World Food Programme (WFP). The donation came after the country and other parts of Africa faced a famine in which an estimated 38 million people were threatened with extreme hunger. "We continue to act with caution," said Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa last week in reference to GMOs when he commissioned the biotechnology laboratory at Lusaka's Mount Makulu Research Station. Zambia sourced a K1.9 billion (about $475, 000) to rehabilitate and modify the biotechnology laboratory to be used to determine the GMO status of seeds as well as foodstuffs. The additional K1.6 billion (about US $400, 000) was donated by the Norwegian government to acquire GMO testing equipment. Part of the money the Norwegian government donated was used to train three scientists on GMOs. Mwanawasa said it was imperative to have the biotechnology laboratory as some countries demanded the GMO status of foodstuffs before import arrangements are finalised. "We live in an era where a number of countries now demand that foodstuffs imported are certified with regard to their GMO status... The whole world is aware that the implications of products of modern biotechnology such as genetic engineering on human and animal health as well as the environment are not yet fully understood," Mwanawasa said. After rejecting the maize from the WFP, Zambia signed the Cartegena Protocol of 2004. This is an internationally binding agreement under the auspices of biological diversity, which governs trans-border movement of GMOs. Speaking during the commissioning of the biotechnology laboratory, Dr Henry Mwenda, the chairman of the National Institute for Scientific Research, said that the human race could have been saved from the effects of biotechnology if precautionary measures were implemented. Several issues were raised regarding some of the known effects of genetically modified foods in 2003 after the WFP/Zambia saga.
