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In January 2024, Nigeria became the second country in Africa to approve the commercial release of four biotech (TELA) maize varieties.

The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Food (MAGA) regulates Guatemala's genetically engineered (GE) plants and animals.

In January 2024, Nigeria approved the commercial release of four TELA maize varieties, which have been genetically engineered for improved insect-resistance and drought-tolerance. In addition to South Africa, Nigeria has become the second country in...

In July 2023, President Tinubu declared an "immediate state of emergency on food insecurity" to address high food prices and lackluster agricultural production. Nigeria is considered by some in Africa to be a leader in agricultural biotechnology as it has researched, tested, evaluated, and commercialized several biotech products, including cowpea, a staple crop for smallholder farmers across West Africa.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) has a regulation in place for the approval of biotech crops.

Nigeria has taken an increasingly active role in biotechnology research and development in Africa – spurred by the solid support of the Government of Nigeria (GON). In September 2022, Nigeria hosted regulators from Mozambique and Ethiopia to learn more about Nigeria’s biotechnology regulatory experience.

Guatemala adopted science-based regulations for the adoption of agricultural biotechnology in 2018. These regulations were immediately challenged by activists but in 2021 the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court reaffirmed the legality of the regulatory process, paving the way for the approvals of the first applications in April 2021.

Nigeria continues to deliver notable achievements in biotechnology research and development – spurred by strong support of the Government of Nigeria (GON).

On January 29, 2021, the Court of Constitution dismissed an opposition lawsuit filed back in 2020 against the biosafety technical regulation approved on October 1, 2019 by the Ministry of Economy as part of the regulatory harmonization process with Honduras.

In December 2020, the Government of Nigeria through the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) authorized guidelines on gene editing.

Since the commercial release of Bt Cowpea in January 2019, Nigeria biotech regulatory authorities are forging ahead with other approvals.

Guatemala´s regulation allowing applications to approve biotech seeds for cultivation entered into force on October 1, 2019.