ESTABLISHMENT OF TYPE CULTURE COLLECTION CENTRE IN NIGERIA

Introduction
Microorganisms (Microbes) are known to exhibit numerous benefit effects on
mankind and form the basis of numerous industrial and biotechnological
processes. Microorganisms in the form of bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans
and algae are therefore, very important to the socioeconomic status of a nation.
Their roles in the health, agriculture, food and beverages sectors and the
environment are well understood and form the basis for studies on their nature,
structure, activities and classification. These studies were aimed at controlling
their effects as well as exploiting their activities for the benefit of humanity.
Consequently, various microbes have been found to be very beneficial in
medicine, industry, agriculture and warfare. The level to which a country
appreciates and exploits the full benefits of microorganisms significantly
contributes to its development.

There is no single culture collection centre in the whole of Africa, all the important
strains used for research and even for commercial purposes are imported at
exorbitant costs from Europe and United States of America. For example, a strain
of Nitobacter sp. an important microorganism, used for bioremediation costs as
high as US$130 per vial from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC).

There is a very high demand for the services of collection centres all over the
world. For instance, the demand for various services from the German Type
Culture Collections (DSMZ) rose from 20,676 different strains in 1999 to 30, 2777
in 2003. There are impressive economic returns from these demands. DSMZ
makes an annual return of about 7million Euro. Demands for the services are
from both the industries and the academia.

There is a very urgent need for a type culture collection centre to be established
in Nigeria because the country stands a good chance to benefit and also has all it
takes to put such in place.

The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) has already put

machinery in progress for collaborative efforts in the establishment of regional
type culture collection in the Sub-Sahara Africa. NABDA and RMRDC were
invited to the Deutsche Sammlung Von Mikroorganismen Und Zellkulturen,
Braunschweig, (DSMZ) Germany to see and understudy the work of microbial
service and research culture collection of DSMZ run under a quality management
system as a standard for shaping and developing our plans to set up a National
Microbial Type Culture Collection.
Impact on National Development and Growth
The appreciation of the roles of microorganisms and exploitation of their benefits
by a nation will greatly impact on its national growth and development through
• Ability to diagnose its endemic disease conditions associated with
microbes through the identification of the causative organisms as a first
step to its eradication.
• Ability to establish industries to produce diagnostic kits for more accurate
diagnosis of various forms of diseases conditions.
• Utilization of such microbes as bacteria and moulds in industries such as
Pharmaceutical for the production of antibiotics, certain hormones and a
number of analytical and research biochemicals e.g. enzymes etc. Food
and beverage industries for the production of beer, wines and spirits,
vitamins and preservatives e.g. lactate, and other fermentation products.
• Ability to use bacteria and algae to control environmental pollution through
bio remediation processes
• Ability to improve agricultural production through the production of
biofertilizers and the use of bacterial based transformation to improve the
qualities of crop varieties.
• Controlling the entry of some virulent and dangerous microbes as well as
microbial toxins into the country thus preventing any incidence of
biological warfare targeted at it.
• Addressing the strategic multiplication and manipulation of certain strains
of microbes and their products to address it’s socioeconomic and defense
objectives.

Objective of this proposal

The objective of this proposal is to establish a national microbial type culture
collection centre in Nigeria. It is hoped that such a centre, if established, will
provide the following facilities among others.
• A repository of the culture of all microbial type strains in Nigeria.
• A reference centre for identification and classification of new microbial
strains. Presently, this is done in established type culture collection
centres in Europe with attendant difficulties including economic losses, to
Nigerian researchers
• A reference centre for the control of entry of microbes and their products
into the country.
• A source for the provision of economically viable microbes for use in the
industries and research establishments.
• A centre for identification and characterization of disease causing
microbial strains in the country with a view to proffering appropriate
therapeutic and control regimes for such a centre will be very useful in
addressing such current endemic diseases as Bird flu, HIV/AIDS etc in the
country.
Cost implication
ITEM ESTIMATED COST
A. Infrastructure
Laboratory building N50M

B. Equipment
Hardware’s (Microscopes, Deep freezers, Computers etc) N300M

Software’s N50M

C. Accessories and Consumables N100M

D. Capacity Building N50M

E. Overhead running costs for 2years N50M

TOTAL N500MILLION

Prayers
Sir, you are invited to note:
(i) That there is a dare need for the establishment of a microbial type
culture collection centre at NABDA Permanent site Abuja, because of
its enormous advantages to health, environment, agric, industry and to
the overall national development.
(ii) That there is no such type culture collection centre in the Central and
West Africa Sub-region.
(iii) That the cost implication of establishing such centre is five hundred
million naira (N500M).
(iv) That the investment in the establishment of microbial type culture
collection centre will pay-off because of the high demand for microbes
by researchers, industrialists in Nigeria, Central and West Africa Sub-
region, Africa and overseas

And approve:

(i) That a microbial type culture collection centre be established in

NABDA Permanent site.
(ii) Approve the release from the MDG account the sum of five hundred
million naira (N500M) for its establishment.

Please kindly accept my highest regards.

Prof. Turner T. Isoun

Hon. Minister, Science and Technology