WINDHOEK, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has opened a laboratory for testing food for genetically modified organisms, the first in the Southern African country,

Higher education minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi opened the laboratory, designed by the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology in Windhoek, Monday.

Kandjii-Murangi said the laboratory would play a crucial role in testing genetically modified products.

"GMO testing is crucial to ensure that only GMOs and GMO products that are approved for use in Namibia are on the market," the minister said.

According to Landjii-Murangi, the laboratory will also play a role in building local capacity through research, producing professors and researchers in the field of biotechnology.

By building local food safety assessment capacity, Kandjii-Murangi said, Namibia will be in a better position to make informed decisions on the standard of food produced or imported through an evidence-based approach.

She further said Namibia suffered misinformation on genetically modified organism because of lack of detection capacity and training in biotechnology.

In her concluding remarks, Kandjii-Murangi urged universities, the food industry and pharmacies to utilize the laboratory.