In recent weeks one aspect of science that has echoed through the media is biotechnology. To the non-scientist it all looks very confusing. The misconception of biotechnology is a problem the whole world over. Although biotechnology as a discipline has been in existence for many years, in Africa, perhaps with the exception of South Africa and Kenya, we are now fully awakening to the brave new world of biotechnology. To date, South Africa continues to be the only African country that has approved transgenic crops for commercial purposes and is the leader in agricultural biotechnology research and development on the continent.