Abstract:

The process of modernizing agriculture or improving health and preserving the environment inevitably involves the application of novel biotechnologies including genetic engineering of crops to increase yield and enhance their nutritional qualities, developing new biopharmaceuticals, and pollution sensitive green technologies. The generation, development and application of these biotechnologies have biosafety implications, which must be carefully managed to ensure that the process and final products are safe for human consumption and the environment. It is for this reason and purpose that the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) was established in 1996.
The NBC is an independent technical committee established under Section 5 (e) of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology Act (Cap 209). It is one of several biosafety mechanisms that government has put in place to facilitate the testing and development of potentially useful genetically engineered organisms. These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) guide the NBC so that it is effective and consistent in its work.