GMOs Are Subversion of Africa’s Food Systems- Nnimmo Bassey

ABUJA_Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) represent the deliberate subversion of Africa’s food systems, a legacy rooted in the colonization of thought, according to Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF). Speaking at the National Symposium on GMOs held at Qualibest Grand Hotel, Utako, Abuja, Bassey warned that the push for GMOs is “locking in colonial controls” over African agriculture under the guise of addressing food insecurity.

Delivering a keynote address titled “Reject Food Colonialism in any Guise,” Bassey argued that GMOs are not a neutral agricultural innovation but a strategic tool to consolidate power in the hands of multinational corporations and perpetuate dependency among African farmers.

“GMOs represent the subversion of Africa’s food systems which was intentionally constructed through the colonization of thought — a phenomenon concretized through persistent coloniality of knowledge and power,” he said.

He criticized Nigeria’s policy trajectory, noting that the 2015 National Biosafety Management Agency Act, and its expansion in 2019 to include gene editing and synthetic biology, opened the floodgates for GMOs without robust safety measures. The creation of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), originally tasked to promote biotechnology, before the enactment of biosafety laws, he said, exemplifies a regulatory framework “where the cart was put before the horse.”

Bassey dismissed claims that GMOs will solve hunger, stressing that nearly three decades after their introduction globally, they have not reduced food insecurity but instead “degrade soils, reduce biodiversity, and concentrate power in the hands of a few.” He cited the 2024 experience of Nigerian cotton farmers who suffered poor harvests from genetically engineered seeds as a cautionary tale.

The environmentalist warned that GMO-driven monocultures and patented seeds threaten indigenous farming practices, erode biodiversity, and undermine food sovereignty. “Our farmers, who for centuries have preserved resilient seeds and maintained ecological balance, now risk being turned into mere outgrowers dependent on corporate seed giants,” Bassey said.

He called for a moratorium on all forms of agricultural modern biotechnology and advocated investment in indigenous farming systems, organic agriculture, and rural infrastructure as pathways to true food security. Highlighting Tanzania’s recent achievement of 128% food sufficiency without GMOs, Bassey said Nigeria can attain similar results by supporting local farmers and addressing systemic challenges such as storage and processing losses, which account for over 40% of wasted food in the country.

“This is not just another symposium. It is a call to reclaim our food sovereignty and reject every guise of food colonialism,” Bassey said.

The symposium, themed “Reject Food Colonialism in Any Guise,” brought together farmers’ groups, scientists, civil society organizations, and policymakers to deliberate on the future of Nigeria’s agricultural system in the face of increasing GMO adoption.