| Summary: | Although modern biotechnology holds great potential for agriculture, especially in developing
countries, if it is not well regulated and managed, it can be of great disservice to the very people
it is intended to serve. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is one of the international instruments
that regulate modern biotechnology but some West and Central African countries face many
challenges in its implementation. These challenges include, among other things, the lack of
biosafety laws, the absence of access and benefit sharing regulations, the absence of clear
biotechnology policies, poor government commitment to funding biotechnology research, poor
or lack of laboratory equipment, poor public perception of biotechnology and poor access to
information and communication technology. This paper discusses how these challenges hinder
the proper implementation of the Protocol and proposes a way forward by examining the
opportunities that are available for effective implementation of the Protocol in the sub-region.
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