Appeal Tribunal to handle biotechnology issues inaugurated
A National Biosafety Authority Appeal Tribunal has been inaugurated to handle concerns of aggrieved persons on issues regarding applications and other matters under the Biosafety Act.
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The tribunal, which will serve as a regulatory body to guide the application and use of biotechnology in order to prevent its abuse, will also adjudicate on matters and concerns of clients.
Membership
The five-member Appeal Tribunal is chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Samuel Kwame Ofei. The other members are the Vice Dean, Faculty of Agriculture of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Albert Kojo Quainoo; a Principal State Attorney of the Ministry of Justice, Mrs Grace Ama Issahaque; a plant biotechnologist with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Dr Peter Twumasi, and a former Assistant Commissioner and Head of the Ghana Customs Laboratory, Mrs Dinah Brandful.
Inaugurating the tribunal in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, said the appeal tribunal was to serve the interest of the public and that anyone who was aggrieved in the implementation of the Biosafety Act could appeal to the tribunal.
“For example, if somebody is refused a permit under the Biosafety Act, that person can appeal to the tribunal, or if you do not understand or agree to the conditions of the approval, you can also appeal.”
“If your licence is revoked, suspended or revised, and you are not happy, you can appeal to the tribunal and if your application is not given the necessary confidentiality and you are aggrieved, you can also appeal to the tribunal,” he explained.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng explained that if an aggrieved person was still not satisfied with the work of the tribunal, that individual could go to the High Court within 30 days.
“So, there is a process. If someone is aggrieved and does not go through the tribunal, I don’t think the court will entertain grievance on the part of the applicant,” he added.
Responsibilities
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng explained that the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) was established in 2011 to ensure the safe development, handling and use of genetically modified organisms (GMO).
He said the NBA was mandated to inform the public anytime it received an application for the introduction of any organisms into the system within 14 days, added, “so you see, the law is there to protect all of us.”
He explained that when such information was made available to the public, it would be debated on and, finally, the NBA would take decisions based on the information provided by the applicant and the technical committee.
Objective
He stated that he was excited about the membership of the tribunal and noted that their backgrounds and expertise made them the right persons to occupy the position.
Prof. Ofei in his remarks expressed gratitude to the ministry for the confidence reposed in the membership and promised that they would make their expertise available to the nation.
He said the responsibility of the tribunal was to complement the work of the NBA to ensure the judicious use of biotechnology and its application in the country.
Prof. Ofei stressed that the appeal tribunal was to ensure that whatever was done in respect of biosafety in the country was safe.
In a welcome address, the Chief Director of the ministry, Madam Salimata Abdul-Salam, explained that the appeal tribunal was one of the provisions in the Act to ensure transparency in decision making.
She said it would seek to work in fairness and serve as a platform for conflict resolution, adding that the inauguration was a step in the implementation of the Biosafety Act.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NBA, Mr Eric Okoree, expressed happiness that the Appeal Tribunal, which was mandatory under the Act, had been inaugurated, he said, recalling that in 2012, anti-GMO demonstrators resorted to the High Court because at that time the Appeal Tribunal was not in place.