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Biosafety Organization
(ORG)
last updated: 08 Apr 2026
Ministry of Environment, Hydraulics and Sanitation – National Biosafety Coordination Unit of Niger
EN
MEHA
EN
-
Person:Dr Mahamadou AlhassaneCartagena Protocol National Focal Point / National Biosafety Coordinator, Biosafety Unit, Directorate-General of Water and Forests (DGEF)Phone: +22786017898,Fax:Email: malhassane@gmail.com,Website:Related OrganizationMinistry of Environment, Hydraulic and Sanitation (MEH/A)
Niamey,
Niamey
, Niger
, Niger
- +227 86017898
-
biosafety governance, biotechnology regulation, synthetic biology, GMO risk assessment, biosafety policy, environmental security, biosecurity, laboratory systems, capacity building, biodiversity protection, Sahel resilience, biosafety implementation, Cartagena Protocol, KMGBF implementationEN
- Africa - Western Africa
- Africa - African Union
- Africa - Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine
- Global - Least Developed Countries
The National Biosafety Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Environment, Hydraulics and Sanitation (MEHA) is the central governmental entity responsible for implementing biosafety in the Republic of Niger under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Unit operates at the interface of environmental governance, biotechnology regulation and national security, in a Sahelian context characterized by significant transboundary biological flows, climate vulnerability and emerging biotechnological risks.
It plays a strategic role in:
- ensuring national compliance with international biosafety obligations;
- coordinating interinstitutional governance involving environmental, agricultural, health, research and security sectors;
- developing national regulatory frameworks and biosafety policies;
- strengthening technical capacities in risk assessment, detection and monitoring of living modified organisms (LMOs);
- supporting scientific research and laboratory systems;
- facilitating international cooperation and engagement with global biosafety processes.
The Unit has led the development of key national strategic documents, including the National Biosafety Action Plan (2025–2030), and has ensured continuous participation of Niger in international negotiations and technical processes under the Convention and its Protocols.
Operating in a resource-constrained environment, the Unit has demonstrated resilience and leadership by maintaining national reporting obligations, mobilizing national expertise, and contributing to global discussions on emerging technologies, including synthetic biology.
The Niger experience highlights the critical importance of strengthening biosafety systems in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), particularly in regions such as the Sahel where ecological vulnerability, food security and transboundary risks converge.
The establishment of a Permanent Biosafety Secretariat (SPB) is identified as a strategic priority to enhance institutional effectiveness, ensure sustainability and enable access to international financing mechanisms, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF-9).
The Unit operates at the interface of environmental governance, biotechnology regulation and national security, in a Sahelian context characterized by significant transboundary biological flows, climate vulnerability and emerging biotechnological risks.
It plays a strategic role in:
- ensuring national compliance with international biosafety obligations;
- coordinating interinstitutional governance involving environmental, agricultural, health, research and security sectors;
- developing national regulatory frameworks and biosafety policies;
- strengthening technical capacities in risk assessment, detection and monitoring of living modified organisms (LMOs);
- supporting scientific research and laboratory systems;
- facilitating international cooperation and engagement with global biosafety processes.
The Unit has led the development of key national strategic documents, including the National Biosafety Action Plan (2025–2030), and has ensured continuous participation of Niger in international negotiations and technical processes under the Convention and its Protocols.
Operating in a resource-constrained environment, the Unit has demonstrated resilience and leadership by maintaining national reporting obligations, mobilizing national expertise, and contributing to global discussions on emerging technologies, including synthetic biology.
The Niger experience highlights the critical importance of strengthening biosafety systems in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), particularly in regions such as the Sahel where ecological vulnerability, food security and transboundary risks converge.
The establishment of a Permanent Biosafety Secretariat (SPB) is identified as a strategic priority to enhance institutional effectiveness, ensure sustainability and enable access to international financing mechanisms, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF-9).
In 2025, the National Biosafety Coordination Unit implemented a series of strategic activities to strengthen biosafety governance in Niger, despite the absence of a dedicated national budget and a permanent institutional structure.
Key achievements include:
- preparation of the National Biosafety Action Plan (2025–2030), aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF);
- coordination of national inputs to international processes under the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols;
- strengthening of national capacities through academic training, technical supervision and collaboration with national laboratories;
- development of strategic, technical and institutional documents supporting biosafety implementation;
- participation in regional and international initiatives related to biosafety, knowledge management and emerging biotechnologies.
Capacity-building efforts were carried out through:
- advanced academic training at Master’s level integrating biosafety, biotechnology and environmental governance;
- technical exchanges with national laboratories involved in GMO detection and biosurveillance;
- preparation of specialized training programmes in biosafety and biosecurity.
However, several planned activities, particularly national workshops and operational capacity-building programmes, could not be implemented due to funding constraints and delays in financial disbursement mechanisms.
These challenges highlight the urgent need to strengthen national institutional frameworks, secure sustainable financing, and enhance international support for biosafety implementation in developing countries.
Niger reiterates its commitment to strengthening biosafety governance, contributing to global biodiversity objectives, and promoting a balanced approach that supports innovation while ensuring environmental protection and human health.
Key achievements include:
- preparation of the National Biosafety Action Plan (2025–2030), aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF);
- coordination of national inputs to international processes under the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols;
- strengthening of national capacities through academic training, technical supervision and collaboration with national laboratories;
- development of strategic, technical and institutional documents supporting biosafety implementation;
- participation in regional and international initiatives related to biosafety, knowledge management and emerging biotechnologies.
Capacity-building efforts were carried out through:
- advanced academic training at Master’s level integrating biosafety, biotechnology and environmental governance;
- technical exchanges with national laboratories involved in GMO detection and biosurveillance;
- preparation of specialized training programmes in biosafety and biosecurity.
However, several planned activities, particularly national workshops and operational capacity-building programmes, could not be implemented due to funding constraints and delays in financial disbursement mechanisms.
These challenges highlight the urgent need to strengthen national institutional frameworks, secure sustainable financing, and enhance international support for biosafety implementation in developing countries.
Niger reiterates its commitment to strengthening biosafety governance, contributing to global biodiversity objectives, and promoting a balanced approach that supports innovation while ensuring environmental protection and human health.
- Niger’s funding prioritie GEF 9.pdf ( Biosafety ) [ English ]
