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Food containing GMOs has been available in Nigeria since 2019. Yet, the debate over the controversial agricultural technology reignited online this week after medical influencer Chinonso Egemba, posted a video boasting the benefits of GMOs.
Nigeria’s approval of genetically modified crops has sparked outrage. Concerns are expressed online about the potential for the food supply to become over-reliant on Western agritech companies.
Food containing GMOs has been available in Nigeria since 2019. Yet, the debate over the controversial agricultural technology reignited online this week after medical influencer Chinonso Egemba, posted a video boasting the benefits of GMOs.
The video, which has garnered over 5.9 million views on X, sparked outrage after photos reemerged of Egemba’s 2023 meeting with U.S billionaire Bill Gates. Gates has invested heavily in GMO technology across Africa, including US$2.8 billion in the Nigerian health and food sectors.
Viewers expressed fears over the role of foreign actors in proliferating GMOs in Nigeria. The magnitude of the backlash prompted Nigeria’s GMO regulator to respond. The regulator said that it ensures all approved GMOs in Nigeria are safe and in line with the ecosystem as it aligns with WHO & Codex standards, the National Biosafety Management Agency stated on Facebook.
Recently, as reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, the UN World Food Program said that the country was facing an unprecedented hunger crisis,” with nearly 31 million people in Nigeria acutely in need of food. Many have hailed GMOs as a solution to food insecurity amid concerns for global warming’s impact on farm yields.
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South Africa is leading the charge for GMOs in Africa with the largest number of approved GMO crops under cultivation, as several other countries, including Kenya and Ghana have begun trials of the technology. Algeria, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe have banned GMO cultivation and imports citing biodiversity risks. Since 2024, Nigeria has had two GMO crops – maize and cowpea – approved for sale with 33 more crops approved for trial.