VZCZCXRO9420
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #0251/01 0400630
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 090630Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7679
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000251 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT FOR MARCELLA SZYMANSKI AND JACK BOBO 
PASS TO USAID FOR SAHARAH MOON CHAPOTIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR TBIO ECON ETRD ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA:  BIOTECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP GENERATES DEBATE, GOE 
SENDS MIXED SIGNALS 
 
REF: 09 ADDIS ABABA 2065 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 
(MoARD) held a "National Workshop on Biotechnology" with support 
from the U.S. Mission from February 1-3, 2010 in Addis Ababa.  The 
event was well-attended, and generated healthy debate on the 2009 
biosafety law, including from GOE officials openly opposed to the 
legislation, and the future of agriculture development in Ethiopia. 
However, during opening and closing comments at the workshop, MoARD 
State Minister Abera Deressa sent mixed messages about his 
ministry's support for reviewing or amending the biosafety law.  End 
summary. 
 
Biotech Workshop Well-Attended, Discussion Lively 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (SBU) MoARD held a "National Workshop on Biotechnology" with 
support from the U.S. Mission from February 1-3, 2010 in Addis 
Ababa.  Approximately 80 people attended the workshop, with 
excellent participation from MoARD, the Ministry of Science and 
Technology (MoST), the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research 
(EIAR), Addis Ababa University (AAU), and other research facilities. 
 A number of high-ranking government officials attended the workshop 
opening, at which Minister of Science and Technology Junedin Sado, 
State Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Abera Deressa, 
and EIAR Director General Solomon Assefa spoke.  USAID/Ethiopia 
worked closely with MoARD officials to craft the workshop agenda, 
provided financial support used to secure conference facilities, and 
USAID/Ethiopia Advisor Tessa Milofsky presented during the workshop. 
 The U.S. Embassy funded the participation of international speakers 
through EEB's Biotechnology Outreach Program. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Conference organizers were pleased with the level of 
audience participation surrounding Ethiopia's highly restrictive 
biosafety law (reftel), passed in 2009.  Attendees appeared 
well-informed, and understood many of the limitations associated 
with the legislation.  Throughout the workshop, attendees openly 
criticized the legislation and identified it as a barrier to 
progress in agriculture research and development in Ethiopia.  Other 
topics of discussion included biotechnology legislation and 
regulations in various African countries, involvement of the 
academic community and private sector in developing a comprehensive 
biotechnology policy, and the need to educate senior-level 
policymakers on the benefits of biotechnology to increasing food 
security and agriculture development in Ethiopia. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In a surprising departure from the reserve often shown in 
Ethiopian culture, several Ethiopian participants from AAU and EIAR 
candidly challenged the presenter from the Environmental Protection 
Authority (EPA), which drafted the biosafety law and is viewed as 
the strongest institutional opponent of agriculture biotechnology in 
the government.  EPA Director General Dr. Tewolde Berhan, who was 
scheduled to present on the legislation, did not attend the 
conference.  The lone EPA participant, from the agency's legal 
division, left immediately after his presentation. 
 
MoARD Sends Mixed Signals on Biosafety Law 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) During a 30-minute opening address on the first day of the 
workshop, State Minister Abera highlighted opportunities for 
agriculture research and development in Ethiopia, and expressed 
MoARD's concern that the recently-enacted biosafety legislation 
could stifle innovation and growth in the agriculture sector.  In 
the weeks leading up to the workshop, Dr. Abera had been very 
proactive in promoting and organizing the event, and engaged with 
USAID officials and EconOff to seek input regarding guest speakers 
and the workshop's agenda.  However, during closing remarks, Dr. 
Abera's tone changed completely.  He defended the biosafety law, 
ignored issues identified by Ethiopian scientists from EIAR and AAU 
during the workshop, and told attendees they should not challenge 
the legislation until it had been tested (but did not address 
challenges participants have already faced as a result of the law). 
 
 
Foreign Speakers Share Experiences 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Three State Department-funded international speakers proved 
extremely helpful in educating policy-makers in the audience and 
initiating discussion among the Ethiopian subject matter experts. 
Dr. Magdy Madkour, Head of Biotechnology at the Arid Lands 
Agricultural Research Institute, Ain Shams University, Egypt, 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000251  002 OF 002 
 
 
discussed Egypt's experience utilizing biotechnology to boost 
agriculture production in drought-prone climates.  Dr. Margaret 
Karembu, Director of the International Service for the Acquisition 
of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) Africa Center, Nairobi, Kenya, 
provided an overview of biotechnology laws and policies in COMESA 
countries and a detailed presentation on Kenya's experience 
developing its own biosafety law.  Dr. Jacob Mignouna, Director of 
Technical Operations at the African Agricultural Technology 
Foundation (AATF), Nairobi, Kenya, framed the issue of biotechnology 
development vs. biosafety with humor and tact.  All were well 
received by the audience. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Ethiopian government officials and agencies clearly hold 
divergent views on biotechnology, ranging from the EPA's firm 
opposition to biotechnology research and development, through 
MoARD's flip-flopping, to the EIAR's keen interest in harnessing 
modern science to address Ethiopia's chronic food insecurity.  State 
Minister Abera offered no insight into his dramatic change of heart 
during the workshop.  Post assesses he was influenced by politics, 
rather than science.  The biotechnology workshop generated healthy 
debate on the 2009 biosafety law and the future of agriculture 
development in Ethiopia, but it increasingly appears that engaging 
officials at the most senior levels will be necessary to initiate a 
meaningful review of the law and its consequences.  End comment. 
 
YATES