Cote d'Ivoire: Biotechnology and Other New Production Technologies Annual

On July 26, 2016, Côte d’Ivoire enacted its national Biosafety Law No. 2016-553. This law establishes the groundwork for managing genetically engineered (GE) products. While the country is still in the early stages of adopting agricultural biotechnology, the law sets forth the key protocols for approval, risk management, and labeling of GE products. Côte d’Ivoire is now also aligning its biosafety framework with ECOWAS standards, strengthening its own role within the regional biotechnology landscape. However, Côte d’Ivoire, notwithstanding the enactment of the Biosafety Law 2016-553, has yet to make fully operational the National Biosafety and Biosecurity Commission (CNBIOS), the country’s biotechnology apex regulatory authority. Until it does so, the trade in imports of GE products into Côte d’Ivoire is effectively prohibited.