The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management recently held a one-day sensitisation on bio-safety and awareness raising for journalist from the print and electronic media at Baobab Holiday Resort in Bijilo.

In his welcoming remarks, Alpha Jallow, director at the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management said that the sensitisation is aimed at raising awareness on the Cartagen Protocol on Bio-safety and its information called the Bio-safety Cleaning Housing (BCH) central portal. He disclosed that The Gambia signed the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 and it's Cartagen Protocol on Bio-safety (CPB) on 24th March 2000.

He added that the implementation of the parent body of the CDB requires parties to the convention to take measures to regulate and manage the risks associated with the use and release of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) into the environment. Jallow revealed that The Gambia has already developed the National Bio-safety Framework (NBF) document. He explained that the NBF is the framework policy document that contains relevant national information on existing laws, regulations and polices relevant to genetically modified organisms.  "The NBF is to guide all process as regards to the safe handing, use and movement of GMOs into The Gambia by means of proposed administrative structure," he said.

According to him, in 2007 the Government of The Gambia through the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management of the Ministry of Forestry and Environment received funding from United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) for the implementation of the BCH. For his part, Alagie Manjang, the deputy director of Parks and Wildlife Management noted that it is important to raise awareness for the journalists to have comprehensive understanding of bio-safety.