Abiodun A. Denloye

Abiodun A. Denloye

The Nigerian Biological Safety Association (NiBSA) (www.nigeriabiosafetyasso.org) came into operation in 2010 with a resolve to popularize and professionalize biosafety and biosecurity in the country, among other mandates. A series of modular trainings soon began including Orientation to Biorisk Management (including CWA 15793), Biorisk Characterization and Evaluation, Biorisk Mitigation Strategies, Biorisk Management Performance, Good Laboratory Work Practices, Laboratory Waste Management, Biosecurity, Laboratory Communication, Shipping of Biological Samples, and Principles of Bioethics. These subjects galvanized country experts in Biosafety and Biosecurity. A main focus was the need for a good professional certification that would signpost expertise and standardize values amongst these experts. In this regard, the IFBA Professional Certification program became very relevant and needful in Nigeria. Members of NiBSA have become conscious of the need to be certified and have recognized the IFBA as the gold standard. The foregoing has thus endeared Nigeria to produce quite a good number of certified professionals (26 in Biorisk Management and 1 in Biosecurity), with thanks to opportunity provided by the IFBA and Global Affairs Canada for sponsorship. Additional certifications are planned in conjunction with NiBSA’s annual biological safety conference in November 2019 with thanks to sponsorship from Germfree www.germfree.com The IFBA Certification processes has helped NiBSA to improve along professionalizing biosafety as a discipline and helped improve our health systems in Nigeria through safe laboratory practices and pathogen handling.

Anthony Abraham, An IFBA Certified Prefessional (Biorisk Management) deploys expertise in working in the laboratory