In an open letter to the minister of finance Mr. Matia kasaija, Makerere Biotechnology students expressed concern over the passing of the Biotechnology bill before the end of the 9th parliament or else they will join hands and hold a massive protest.
The letter reads as below;
Dear Mr Matia Kasaija,
We are a group of alumni and students of Biotechnology, Makerere University. We thank the government for investing in us to study advanced courses in science and technology, which will increase the global competitiveness of Uganda. However, we wish to express our concerns regarding the delay in passing the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill, 2012.
This Bill seeks to regulate the development and use of modern biotechnology products, including GMOs, in Uganda. Modern biotechnology tools have been used for more than three decades for making drugs and most recently, for making a number of vaccines. The GMOs technology is also greatly used in industry. In the field of agriculture, a number of crops and a few animals have been released. The reasons for developing these products vary, including addressing the climate change challenges.
As Ugandans who have gained skills in biotechnology, we have been equipped with the necessary skills to apply and regulate this technology. We have a good understanding of how to deal with the different tools of biotechnology. Makerere University has a fully-fledged Department of Biotechnology with trained professionals who have played a big role in educating us. This degree programme is currently ranked among the top five most popular courses at Makerere University because young people love to be technology savvy and aspire to be globally competitive. The department has produced two sets of its graduates (123 current students and 78 graduates). Other students have been trained at Gulu University, Kyambogo University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Uganda Christian University.
Without the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Law, it means research and development in this field is compromised; it is going to lose funding, while GMOs will be allowed to enter the country without any regulation. The number of unemployed youth, especially those trained in this field, is also likely to increase and the country will experience more brain-drain. Young people are likely to look for greener pastures elsewhere, more so in countries that have approved GMOs. At the same time, the government will loss control over the GMOs that enter the country as well as products of other more recent modern biotechnology that need to be regulated. Some of these more recent modern biotechnology are raising more eyebrows than the GMOs.
As the ministry responsible for planning for this country, we request that you support passage of the Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill into law so that we, who have gained the knowledge and skills, can be able to contribute to using this technology for national development or we provide services in regulating the technology. Capacity building is a continuous process that will be supported by having a law in place. We, therefore, request you, together with our Members of Parliament, to pass this Bill into law.
