The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the commercial release of four insect-resistant and drought-tolerant GMmaize varieties - SAMMAZ 72T, SAMMAZ 73T, SAMMAZ 74T, and SAMMAZ 75T. The varieties possess the genetic events MON 87460 and MON 89034, conferring drought tolerance and resistance to lepidopteran insect pests such as stem-borer and fall armyworms. The approval was granted by the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds/Fisheries (NCNRRCVLF). The release and registration of the four varieties followed environmental release approval in October 2021 (see AgbioNews Oct 12, 2021), granted by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA). Development of the improved varieties has been coordinated by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) through the TELA Maize Public-Private Partnership, which is also being implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa.

The approval is in line with last year's announcement from the National Assembly of Nigeria (AgbioNews Sep 28, 2023), stating its commitment to developing in-house capacity for the advancement and utilisation of biotechnology innovations in crop improvement in Nigeria, supporting the Agenda 2050 goal, the acceptance of Nigeria into the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) (AgbioNews Aug 30, 2021) and the passage of the Plant Variety Protection Bill 2021.