As part of efforts to create a platform for effective communication and understanding of Agricultural Biotechnology issues in Nigeria, the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in collaboration with African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) would on the 9th of April this year, launch the Nigerian Chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB).
According to the Director General NABDA and Chairman of OFAB Nigeria, Prof Bamidele Solomon, the launch which holds at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja is an initiative of the AATF Kenya established to facilitate the flow of information from the scientific community to policy makers and the general public.
The platform, known as the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), brings together stakeholders in biotechnology and enables interactions between scientists, journalists, the civil society, industrialists, lawmakers and policy makers. It takes the form of a monthly lunch-hour meeting that provides an opportunity for key stakeholders to know one another, share knowledge and experiences, make new contacts and explore new avenues of bringing the benefits of biotechnology to the African agricultural sector. The Open Forum provides an opportunity to make formal presentations or informal discussions focussing on the relationships between science, technology, innovation, environmental protection, policy, trade, social benefits sharing and their impact on economic development.

The first Open Forum was launched in Nairobi, Kenya on 14 September 2006. This was followed by the Uganda Chapter in 2007.This April, the Nigerian chapter would be launched and the subject of discourse would be “Biotechnology and its Application in Agriculture” to be handled by Prof M.D. Magaji, Director Plant Resources, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria. Other eminent personalities to grace the occasion are the chief host, Dr Alhassan Bako Zaku, Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, the Special Guest of Honour, Prof Dora Akunyili, Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication as well as Regional Director ISAAA and chairman OFAB Kenya Chapter, Dr Margaret Karembo and AATF Communication and Partnership Manager, Nancy Muchiri.