IITA–CGIAR has joined the Plant Breeding Innovation Management Program (PBIMP) under the Global Stewardship Group (GSG), reinforcing its commitment to responsible and ethical research in modern biotechnology, including Genome Editing. This strategic move marks another significant milestone in IITA’s continued leadership in agricultural innovation, particularly genome editing.
By joining the PBIMP, IITA aligns itself with an international community of research institutions and industry leaders implementing stewardship best practices in the use of genome editing technologies for crop improvement. The program promotes harmonized protocols, accountability frameworks, and capacity strengthening to ensure that research and development involving genome editing adheres to the highest standards of safety, transparency, and compliance.
This new engagement builds upon IITA’s well-established foundation in stewardship excellence. Since 2017, IITA has been a member of the Excellence through Stewardship (ETS) and has completed two audit cycles. As an ETS member, IITA has adopted robust stewardship systems that have guided its research activities across various transgenic crop platforms. This ensures safe and responsible deployment from the laboratory to the field.
“Joining the PBIMP is a natural extension of our longstanding commitment to biosafety and stewardship,” said Dr Leena Tripathi, Director of Eastern Africa Hub and Head of Biotechnology at IITA. “As we expand our use of genome editing to accelerate crop improvement, it is critical to maintain and enhance the rigorous standards that have defined our work in genetic transformation. PBIMP offers a collaborative platform to share, learn, and strengthen our stewardship systems in line with global best practices.”
Genome editing is a key component of IITA’s research portfolio, with applications in improving disease resistance, enhancing yield, and promoting climate resilience in staple African crops. As gene editing technologies mature, ensuring their responsible use becomes even more essential to build public trust and enable the delivery of safe, effective innovations to smallholder farmers.
Contributed by Rose-Harriet Okech
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