No Absolute Safety In GM Foods – Biosafety Authority CEO Clarifies

Story By: Deborah Adorsu

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), Kwame Dei Asamoah-Okyere, says there is no such thing as absolute safety when it comes to genetically modified foods and organisms, just as it is with conventional foods.

According to him, the mandate of the Authority is not to declare GM products 100 percent risk-free, but to conduct rigorous scientific assessment to determine whether they are as safe as their conventional counterparts before approval.

Mr. Asamoah-Okyere explained that every application for GM products goes through strict monitoring from development through confined field trials and multi-locational testing, with technical review by multidisciplinary experts before final approval by the Board.

He noted that Ghana’s biosafety framework, established under the Biosafety Act, 2011 (Act 831), is among the strongest in Africa and aligned with international standards including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The CEO stressed that no biotechnology product is approved unless it is proven to be as safe as conventional alternatives, adding that the Authority’s primary responsibility is to safeguard public health and the environment.