Sharon Ikeazor, minister for environment, said that the federal government approved a new national policy on biosecurity to protect the environment.
Ikeazor announced the development on Friday and stated that the approval was granted at the special session (FEC) on Thursday.
She stated that the policy will allow for early detection, rapid response, and recovery from biosecurity incidents.
She said that the federal executive committee (FEC) approved the national biosecurity strategy and action plan 2022-2026.
This is done to ensure, among others, biosecurity to protect the environment and human health against harmful biological agents, and to protect our socioeconomic development.
The policy document will foster an integrated and holistic biosecurity strategy. It will be implemented using a one-health approach to the prevention, early detection, rapid reaction to biothreats, and recovery from biosecurity incident.
This policy is intended to foster synergy among biosecurity stakeholders in order to ensure efficient and effective operation of national biosecurity systems.
It is to ensure all aspects of national, international, conventions and guidelines relating to biosecurity are taken into account.
Ikeazor said she was happy with the approval and said that it gives the country an effective, comprehensive, and usable document for protecting the environment.
She explained that effective cooperation among stakeholders will facilitate efficient prevention, preparedness response, mitigation system and mitigation system against bio-threats.
The amendment directs the agency’s implementation of measures to ensure Nigerian biosecurity. After going through several reviews, stakeholders validated the draft national biosecurity policy and action plan in September 2021, before it was presented to the FEC for approval,” she said.
We are pleased with this approval in environment sector. This gives the country an actual, comprehensive, and usable document.
The document will tackle biosecurity issues and ensure that bio-threats are properly contained and even eliminated.”
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