Regionalization of Biotech Investments the Only Hope for Africa

By: James Wachai
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:24:52
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Should Africa regionalize biotechnology investment? This is one of the key issues in the draft report on the future of biotechnology in Africa, prepared by a panel of eminent African scientists and policy makers.

The panel, set up by the Africa Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), has “proposed a key biotechnology mission for each of Africa’s regions, where such investments will have the largest potential to boost development and nurture excellence.” The panel would like genetic engineering projects to be stations in regions where they can benefit the public most.

This proposal envisages, for instance, concentrating HIV/AIDS-related biotechnology research in sub-Saharan Africa, where infections remain astronomically high.

The proposal has aroused controversy – an unnecessary one – to the extent that some countries are considering torpedoing it. These countries fear being starved of biotechnology-related research funds, because, if the proposal is implemented, they argue, attention will henceforth focus on consensually agreed centers of excellence.

Such fears are misplaced and selfish, to say the least. For Biotechnology research to benefit Africa, there has to be centers of excellence, where scientists from across the continent will jointly conduct research that's beneficial to the African situation.

The proposal’s critics are reading mischief where there is none. They are construing regionalization to mean zoning. I would not be surprised that these are the same people who have messed up the drive to assimilate genetically modified crops into Africa's agriculture.

Cross-border partnership in biotechnology is critical, if success is to be realized in this field. Prof. Calestous Juma, the chair of this biotechnology panel, has made it very clear that the proposal’s sole mission is to cluster biotech investments in regions where Return on Investment (ROI) will be high. Such biotechnology investments will also be tailored to meeting immediate and/or long-term needs of the regions where they’ll be located.

The proposal is clear that countries would not be denied opportunities to indulge in their own biotechnology investments. “[The proposals are] not saying that we shouldn’t put money into crops in Southern Africa. It’s just saying that, from the way we look at it, HIV/AIDS is a critical issue in this region, so it can be taken up as a key area of investment for biotech,” explains Aggrey Ambali, coordinator of the Nepad African Biosciences Initiative.

All scientists of goodwill, are better advised to support this proposal. Biotechnology-related centers of excellence stand to hasten the integration of genetically modified crops and other biotech products into Africa’s economy. Africa will be able to produce its own genetically modified food to feed the ever increasing population.

As it stands now, biotechnology research in Africa is uncoordinated. We have briefcase biotechnology experts who are only good at writing proposals for projects that are never completed. It’s a case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing. This is unfortunate.

Time has come for Africa to change its attitude towards biotechnology. The first step in doing this is to support the proposed regionalization of biotechnology investment. Once this is done, Africa’s agriculture and health sectors will realize tremendous growth.

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