Chantal Kaboré-Zoungrana

Chantal Yvette Kaboré-Zoungrana (née Kaboré) is a Burkinabé animal nutritionist and biosecurity expert. She is a professor at the University of Ouagadougou and former head of the national Burkina Faso National Biosafety Agency (Agence Nationale de la Biosécurité).

Academic career

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Kaboré-Zoungrana studied for her doctorate at the Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, in 1982.[1] She earned a further doctorate in her home city at the University of Ouagadougou in 1995.[1] While she was based at Nazi Boni University, Kaboré-Zoungrana investigated the effects of plant nutrition on livestock, including measuring the health of sheep consuming native plants Afzelia africana, Pterocarpus erinaceus or Khaya senegalensis when obtained during different seasons.[2][3]

She was promoted to full professorship in 2008 in the Rural Department of the University of Ouagadougou.[1] Kaboré-Zoungrana has at different times served as Head of the Animal Production Department, Director of the Institute of Rural Development, Director of the Institute of Nature and Life Science at the university.[1] Kaboré-Zoungrana is Fellow and Member of the Board of the National Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters of Burkina Faso, and was elected a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 2018.[1]

Biosecurity

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In 2008 Kaboré-Zoungrana became Director-General of the National Biosafety Agency.[1] As part of this role Kaboré-Zoungrana announced the trialling of genetically modified cotton in association with Monsanto, an important crop for Burkina Faso, in 2011.[4] However the agency under her leadership also did not renew Monsanto's license to grow Bt cotton in Burkina Faso amid concerns over quality, actual-vs-predicted gains and financial benefits for farmers.[5] She has published on how to advocate and educate the use of genetically modified crops in sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries have banned the use of these crops.[5][6]

She oversaw the implementation of a Target Malaria project to release sterile male mosquitoes, carrying a gene drive to spread the sterility through the native population, in rural areas of Burkina Faso in order to reduce the mosquito population.[7] In 2019 Kaboré-Zoungrana also opened a new National Biosafety Laboratory on the Institut de l'Environnement et Recherches Agricoles campus in Ouagadougou, alongside Prof Alkassoum Maiga, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation.[8][9] Kaboré-Zoungrana retired from this role in 2019 and was succeeded by Prof Nicolas Barro.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Zoungrana Chantal Yvette (Nee Kabore) | The AAS". www.aasciences.africa. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  2. ^ Ouédraogo-Koné, Salifou; Kaboré-Zoungrana, Chantal Y.; Ledin, Inger (2009-10-01). "Effect of feeding some West African browse foliages on growth and carcass composition in sheep". Tropical Animal Health and Production. 41 (7): 1243–1252. doi:10.1007/s11250-009-9307-x. ISSN 1573-7438. PMID 19172409. S2CID 22132904.
  3. ^ Ouédraogo-Koné, Salifou; Kaboré-Zoungrana, Chantal Y.; Ledin, Inger (2008-02-01). "Intake and digestibility in sheep and chemical composition during different seasons of some West African browse species". Tropical Animal Health and Production. 40 (2): 155–164. doi:10.1007/s11250-007-9075-4. ISSN 1573-7438. PMID 18422259. S2CID 23508337.
  4. ^ Yameogo, Moumini. "Cultures de rente au Burkina Faso : Deux nouvelles variétés de coton transgénique en essai - leFaso.net, l'actualité au Burkina Faso". lefaso.net. Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  5. ^ a b Piro, Patrick (8 April 2013). "Après le coton, Monsanto cherche à multiplier les OGM en Afrique de l'Ouest". Basta ! (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  6. ^ Racovita, Monica; Obonyo, Dennis Ndolo; Abdallah, Roshan; Anguzu, Robert; Bamwenda, Gratian; Kiggundu, Andrew; Maganga, Harrison; Muchiri, Nancy; Nzeduru, Chinyere; Otadoh, Jane; Rumjaun, Anwar (January 2013). "Experiences in sub-Saharan Africa with GM crop risk communication: Outcome of a workshop". GM Crops & Food. 4 (1): 19–27. doi:10.4161/gmcr.22488. ISSN 2164-5698. PMID 23090016.
  7. ^ "Burkinabe GM Mosquito Malaria Eradication Project Gets off to a Good Start". Crop Biotech Update. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  8. ^ "Inauguration of a biosafety laboratory in Burkina Faso". ABNE | African Biosafety Network of Expertise. 2019-09-07. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  9. ^ Vebama, Nafisiatou (2019-09-02). "Infowakat | Burkina : le laboratoire de biosécurité opérationnel". Infowakat (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  10. ^ "New Director General of Burkina Faso's National Biosafety Agency paid a courtesy call on AUDA-NEPAD office in Ouagadougou". ABNE | African Biosafety Network of Expertise. 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2020-02-09.