AUDA-NEPAD, in partnership with the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) carried out a stakeholder capacity-building meeting on national guidelines for seed production technology (SPT), from 23 to 27 February 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting convened 34 participants including regulators, seed sector actors, researchers, and technical experts. The main objective of this meeting was to strengthen technical understanding of SPT, review regulatory precedents, and initiate the development of national SPT regulatory guidelines.

SPT is an innovative technology, designed to enable efficient hybrid maize seed production without the need for manual detasseling. The technology presents significant potential to improve seed production efficiency, enhance seed quality, and strengthen hybrid seed systems in Africa.

Acknowledging the strategic role Nigeria plays in biotechnology regulation, having established a functional biosafety regulatory framework and an operational National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), regulatory clarity is required regarding the appropriate oversight of SPT, particularly the distinction between transgenic intermediates used during seed production and the non-transgenic final seed products.

The meeting sessions covered the science of SPT, hybrid seed production challenges, regulatory precedents from Africa, and proposed considerations for national guidelines; and concluded with agreement on next steps toward the drafting, review and validation of national SPT regulatory guidelines.

Further to this, the AUDA-NEPAD team advanced discussions on the SPT policy framework publication, which will provide strategic directions and model guidance for Member States and RECs in developing their national guidelines.

The 5-day engagement resulted in enhanced technical clarity on the science of SPT and its regulatory implications, enabling a more informed and structured interpretation within the existing biosafety framework. It strengthened national ownership of the SPT regulatory development process and established a clear drafting roadmap for both the national guideline and the continental policy framework.

This important meeting aligned with AU policy direction under Agenda 2063, CAADP 2035, and the Africa Seed and Biotech Programme (ASBP); emphasizing science-based, risk-proportionate regulation of emerging agricultural technologies to enhance seed systems and to contribute to building resilient agrifood systems in Africa.