Biodiversity, Biotechnology, and Law Training Course for West Africa

The Biodiversity, Biotechnology, and Law Training Course for West Africa was organized by the Global Biodiversity Institute (GBDI) in association with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Held at the IITA facility in Ibadan, Nigeria, from March 1-24, 2000, the training course for West Africa was the second in a series that started in East Africa in 1999. Some 50 scientists and lawyers from anglophone and francophone countries throughout the sub-region participated.

The course was divided into four modules. Module I provided an overview of "The Business of Biodiversity"; Module II took a detailed look at "The Fundamentals of Bioprospecting Negotiations" with an emphasis on equitable benefit sharing; Module III focused on "Managing Intellectual Property"; and Module IV concluded with an examination of "Biotechnology and Biosafety." For each module, experts in the relevant fields from around the world were brought in to serve as faculty members. Formal presentations were combined with interactive role-playing and working group sessions that emphasized application of the core concepts in realistic scenarios.

One of Africa’s greatest strengths is the richness and diversity of its biological resources. Historically, raw materials from the continent have often been extracted for use in value-added industries in the North, with only minimal benefit for Africans. The main overall purpose of the GBDI training course is to help change this pattern, i.e., to equip Africans with the knowledge and skills necessary to leverage bio-resources for the benefit of source countries, for example by:

• ensuring conservation and sustainable use of the resources;
• protecting rights and access to resources for indigenous communities;
• negotiating equitable bioprospecting agreements that share benefits fairly among all stakeholders;
• raising awareness of key international treaties and agreements in legal and intellectual property areas;
• building capacity to develop value-added industries in Africa in areas such as pharmaceutical research and agricultural biotechnology; and
• developing appropriate legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks to enhance the enabling environment for the pursuit of these goals.

The training program takes a regional approach in order to promote interaction, sharing of experiences, and the harmonization of approaches toward solving a common problem. It tries to utilize existing sub-regional frameworks (such as ECOWAS--the Economic Community of West African States--in this case) and expand cooperative networks into other areas. The overriding philosophy is that if Africans do not develop the capacity to guide the use of biotechnology in Africa, somebody else will do it. Through inaction Africa risks a loss of control over use of genetic resources and products in its own communities. Africa must ultimately make its own decisions about what is or is not good for the continent with regard to biotechnology, and therefore must mobilize expertise, communications channels, and policy structures for the task. The course invites a thorough examination of the potential benefits of biotechnology as well as the potential risks, emphasizing analysis of scientific merit as well as socioeconomic factors and competing values.

The West African training course was honored at the opening ceremony by a goodwill message from the Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, delivered on his behalf by the Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina. President Obasanjo called for collaboration among African countries to protect biodiversity and harness its power to feed people and eradicate disease, emphasizing also the need to guard against health and environmental risks from biotechnology. The opening ceremony also featured an address by Chief Ebitimi Banigo, the Nigerian Minister of Science and Technology, who stressed that the loss of tropical biodiversity has become a major concern, and urged the introduction of appropriate legislation to protect Africa’s genetic heritage from "international pilferage" and to protect Africa’s farmers from being forced to rely on externally produced seeds.

By the conclusion of the training, participants had developed a plan to establish a network for the purpose of elucidating a regional approach to the key policy issues identified at the workshop. Known as the West African Biodiversity and Law Initiative (WABILNET), the network intends to expand its membership to include representatives who were unable to attend the workshop; to advise regional policymakers on these critical issues; to serve as an information clearinghouse through the development of a website; and to organize follow-up activities as appropriate. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Africa Program is currently working with WABILNET and GBDI to organize a follow-up workshop with high-level regional policymakers.

The text of this report draws from notes taken during the training workshop as well as from written materials prepared by the various faculty members, to whom we are indebted for their generous contributions of time, energy, and intellect. An evaluation of the course by the participants themselves follows at the end of the report. GBDI and IITA are also grateful to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Monsanto, the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the Nigerian Ministry for Science and Technology.