Greetings! As the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated by emerging variants, the Drumbeat family hopes that you are safe and in good health. One thing we have learnt from the pandemic is that a sustainable food supply is crucial in mitigating detrimental effects of present and future pandemics on food security and socio-economic growth.

This issue highlights the prospects of genome editing application in Africa's Agriculture. The technology has presented Africa with an additional, more efficient tool for improving agricultural productivity. In crop breeding, genome editing will improve the ease, speed, precision, and generation time of improved varieties. However, this optimism must go hand in hand with implementation of policies that foster an enabling environment for research, development and adoption.

Our video of the month captures voices of agricultural biotechnology experts, policy and decision makers as they forecast the impact genome editing will have in improving Africa’s food production. Story of the month features an exclusive interview with Dr. Rufus Ebegba, Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Nigeria. Dr. Ebegba provides fundamental insights on integration of genome editing in Africa’s crop breeding systems.

Finally, we are closing in on the Africa Biennial Biosciences Communication (ABBC) 2021 symposium. The physical-virtual hybrid symposium will run from 20^th to 24^th September under the theme "Accelerating the Biotech Tipping Point: Taking Stock and Celebrating the Gains". Registration closes on 15^th September 2021.

Enjoy your read!