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In February 2025, Ethiopia’s National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) approved the commercial release of three TELA maize hybrid varieties.

This is a regional report on West Africa that primarily covers Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, but also provides brief overviews in certain sections for Niger, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania.

The Government of Senegal is reviewing and revising its new biosafety law which may include language for an expedited approval process for certain genetically engineered (GE) products.

Ethiopian farmers and researchers have tried to address food security shortfalls and plant health issues through conventional breeding without success.

In 2018, the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) authorized cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) cotton by granting official approvals for environmental release.

In May, the Ethiopian Ministry of Environment approved Bt cotton – the country’s first biotech crop – for cultivation.

Ethiopia completed its second round of Bt cotton confined field trials in 2017 and commercialization is expected within the next couple of years.

For the past several years, Ethiopia has invested in establishing the legal and regulatory systems, as well as the technical capacity to support and manage the adoption of genetically engineered...

On August 14, 2015, the President of Ethiopia signed into law the necessary regulatory framework that will allow the cultivation of genetically-engineered Bt cotton.

The Government of Ethiopia (GOE) recently amended its Biosafety Proclamation with the intent of permitting the future cultivation of biotech cotton to meet the rising demands from the textile industry