| Should Africa regionalize biotechnology | | | | Cross-border partnership in biotechnology is critical, |
| investment? This is one of the key issues in the | | | | if success is to be realized in this field. Prof. |
| draft report on the future of biotechnology in | | | | Calestous Juma, the chair of this biotechnology |
| Africa, prepared by a panel of eminent African | | | | panel, has made it very clear that the proposal's |
| scientists and policy makers. | | | | sole mission is to cluster biotech investments in |
| The panel, set up by the Africa Union and the | | | | regions where Return on Investment (ROI) will be |
| New Partnership for Africa's Development | | | | high. Such biotechnology investments will also be |
| (Nepad), has "proposed a key biotechnology | | | | tailored to meeting immediate and/or long-term |
| mission for each of Africa's regions, where such | | | | needs of the regions where they'll be located. |
| investments will have the largest potential to | | | | The proposal is clear that countries would not be |
| boost development and nurture excellence." The | | | | denied opportunities to indulge in their own |
| panel would like genetic engineering projects to be | | | | biotechnology investments. "[The proposals are] |
| stations in regions where they can benefit the | | | | not saying that we shouldn't put money into crops |
| public most. | | | | in Southern Africa. It's just saying that, from the |
| This proposal envisages, for instance, | | | | way we look at it, HIV/AIDS is a critical issue in |
| concentrating HIV/AIDS-related biotechnology | | | | this region, so it can be taken up as a key area |
| research in sub-Saharan Africa, where infections | | | | of investment for biotech," explains Aggrey |
| remain astronomically high. | | | | Ambali, coordinator of the Nepad African |
| The proposal has aroused controversy - an | | | | Biosciences Initiative. |
| unnecessary one - to the extent that some | | | | All scientists of goodwill, are better advised to |
| countries are considering torpedoing it. These | | | | support this proposal. Biotechnology-related |
| countries fear being starved of | | | | centers of excellence stand to hasten the |
| biotechnology-related research funds, because, if | | | | integration of genetically modified crops and other |
| the proposal is implemented, they argue, attention | | | | biotech products into Africa's economy. Africa will |
| will henceforth focus on consensually agreed | | | | be able to produce its own genetically modified |
| centers of excellence. | | | | food to feed the ever increasing population. |
| Such fears are misplaced and selfish, to say the | | | | As it stands now, biotechnology research in Africa |
| least. For Biotechnology research to benefit | | | | is uncoordinated. We have briefcase biotechnology |
| Africa, there has to be centers of excellence, | | | | experts who are only good at writing proposals |
| where scientists from across the continent will | | | | for projects that are never completed. It's a case |
| jointly conduct research that's beneficial to the | | | | of one hand not knowing what the other is doing. |
| African situation. | | | | This is unfortunate. |
| The proposal's critics are reading mischief where | | | | Time has come for Africa to change its attitude |
| there is none. They are construing regionalization | | | | towards biotechnology. The first step in doing this |
| to mean zoning. I would not be surprised that | | | | is to support the proposed regionalization of |
| these are the same people who have messed up | | | | biotechnology investment. Once this is done, |
| the drive to assimilate genetically modified crops | | | | Africa's agriculture and health sectors will realize |
| into Africa's agriculture. | | | | tremendous growth. |