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The AfriCenter BICs Communication Activities By Margaret Karembu Director, ISAAA A Africenter

The AfriCenter BICs Communication Activities By Margaret Karembu Director, ISAAA A Africenter. Launching of Uganda Biotechnology Information Center 12-13 September 2013, Kampala, Uganda. Outline. Africa BICs Strategy Challenges Issues Management Lessons Learnt. Africa BICs Strategy .

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The AfriCenter BICs Communication Activities By Margaret Karembu Director, ISAAA A Africenter

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  1. The AfriCenter BICs Communication Activities By Margaret KarembuDirector, ISAAA A Africenter Launching of Uganda Biotechnology Information Center 12-13 September 2013, Kampala, Uganda

  2. Outline • Africa BICs Strategy • Challenges • Issues Management • Lessons Learnt

  3. Africa BICs Strategy • Strengthen capacity for crop biotechnology uptake • Promote strategic alliances and partnerships • Facilitate international representation of Africa’s biotechnology agenda

  4. Regions covered Eastern and Central Africa West Africa North Africa Southern Africa (thro’ partnerships) with Africa Bio

  5. Knowledge-sharing

  6. Key Activities: Africa Launch of Annual Brief Translations into African Languages Contributions to Crop Biotech Update Capacity building in Science Comm Media Liaison Issues Management

  7. Africa Launches of Annual Brief • EAST & CENTRAL AFRICA ETHIOPIAN HERALD “Biotechnology said fosters agricultural development “ ETHIOPIA KENYA TANZANIA MALAWI UGANDA

  8. Africa Launch of Annual Brief WEST AFRICA BURKINA FASO TOGO GHANA

  9. Translations of Brief Highlights Luganda & AtesoUGANDA Dioula&Moore-BURKINA Kinyarwanda-RWANDA Kiswahili-KE,TZ,BURUNDI, DRC Yoruba&Igbo-NIGERIA Amharic-ETHIOPIA Chichewa & Citumbuka MALAWI

  10. Contributions to Crop Biotech Update 1. Contributed ~50 articles on key Africa biotech developments – Products, R&D, policies etc. 2. Expansion of subscription to CBU mailing list 3 Posting articles to Wall@ISAAA Newsletter

  11. The best part of this training was to see the actual GM crop on the field…I will be reporting on the basis of what I learnt and saw, JoyfridaAnindo,Science Africa. Journalists-WEMA CFTS-Kenya Seeing-is-believing Study tours The encounter with farmers themselves, seeing their fields, some of their homes and hearing from the horse's mouth what Bt cotton has done for themwas the most important part of the tour for me ,Kakunta, Journalist, Zambia Btcotton Burkina Faso study tour

  12. Knowledge sharing: IEC Materials Over 10,000 materials distributed - authored, co-authored, adapted KC/other BICs IEC e.g Swahili version of Mandy&Fanny ‘Africanizing’ Mandy and Fanny

  13. Building Capacity in Science Communication Biotech stakeholders-comm strategy for Kenya Journalists-Ag Biotech Balanced reporting

  14. Youth Mentorship for Biotech OutreachBiotech Inter-university Quiz and Fashion Show

  15. Strategic Partnerships:Science Communications Service Provider BioAWARE; Public Universities; RECs AATF OFAB PBS ABNE SCIFODE UBIC

  16. Facilitating experience-sharing bwtn Africa & Asia Ghana UNIDO meeting on reviving cotton:

  17. Biotech Communication Research • Radio Use in Communicating Ag-biotech • Content analysis of Media coverage of biotech issues • Visual representation of biotechnology: How cartoonists define crop biotechnology • The Uganda e-Biotech debate?

  18. Issue Management • The GM maize importation saga • in Kenya… • Debate spilled to neighbouring countries

  19. 2011 characterized by famine and shortage of maize crisis Government decision to allow importation of GM maize from South Africa trigger “hot” debate Anti-biotech groups successful in targeting and engaging Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.  Debate dominated by safety of GM maize to human health and the environment Capacity of the country to handle GMOsput to question Context

  20. INTERVENTIONS • Africenter received requests from Government, Prime Minister’s office, Ministries of Agriculture, Health, KARI, NBA, NCST and Permanent Secretaries S&T, MoA • Policy briefs, fact sheets, message maps and other materials developed and distributed • Documents used to prepare parliamentary reports on safety of GMOs and media briefings. • Political engagement • Media engagement – Print and Electronic

  21. Outcomes Prime Minister Hon. RailaAmoloOdinga on safety of biotech/GM crops: “There is no evidence anywhere in the world that GMOs are harmful. The World Health Organization, FAO and other credible organizations have endorsed the technology”. (August 2011)

  22. Other Challenging Issues • Kenya Biosafety labelling regulations • Rat study by Seraliniet,.al alleging health effects • Ban on GM food imports in Kenya • Issue brief on global scientific reactions to Seralini study used in Parliament to question Cabinet decision to ban GM imports

  23. July 2, 2012: Africa Science Technology and Innovation News (AFRICASTI)

  24. Lessons Learnt on Issues Management • Intelligence gathering – Anticipate and prepare FAQs, Info-Bites, Pocket Ks • Enhance visibility of local scientists in Outreach • Establish a Rapid Response Team Tactics • Develop a political strategy • Proactively engage the media • Embrace social media and the Youth

  25. From Debate to Dialogue… Help the public shed off “victim mentality” to become active players in the BIOECONOMY! For latest updates on Crop biotechnology, subscribe to CropBiotech Update: www.isaaa.org/subscribe/ke.

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