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The Role of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa’s Development

The Role of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa’s Development. Diran Makinde Director, West African Biosciences Network ( WABNet ) NEPAD Biosciences Initiative Dakar, Senegal 2 nd Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB). Uganda

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The Role of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa’s Development

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  1. The Role of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa’s Development Diran Makinde Director, West African Biosciences Network (WABNet) NEPAD Biosciences Initiative Dakar, Senegal 2nd Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB). Uganda 30th April 2008 Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala

  2. Sustainable development in Africa Within the context of sustainable development, Africa needs to focus on: • provision of sufficient affordable nutrition. • improving access to affordable and effective health care • protection of the African environment • creation of jobs and the reduction of poverty.

  3. MAIZE DOMESTIC DEFICIT/SURPLUS: 2003/04 COMPARED TO 2004/05 PROJECTIONS

  4. Low Productivity Smallholder Farming

  5. Transforming African Agriculture • Widespread use of quality farm inputs & technologies • Improved seed - conventional & biotechnology • Fertiliser • Crop protection chemicals • Irrigation • Equipment • Empowered farmers • Training – gain the knowledge, info & skills • Credit • Basic health, education & nutrition • Markets that work • Incentive to invest • Infrastructure that enables trade • Information to make good business decisions • Proactive Policy, Regulatory Reform • Political will and commitment to create and enabling environment • Laws, investments in infrastructure, R&D, training, input subsidy, environment etc 51

  6. Plant Biotechnology • Allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise manner. • Using plant biotechnology, a single gene may be added to the strand. • These genes are very specific and allow the plant to precisely express the desired trait.

  7. a plant contains transgene(s) that have been artificially inserted instead of acquiring them through other means. The transgenes (or inserted gene sequence) may come from another unrelated living organism. Example: Bt maize contains an endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis, an insect pathogenic bacterium. Transgenic Plant

  8. Harvest from Resource Poor Farm of Insect Resistant Maize

  9. Healthy Cassava Virus-infected Cassava

  10. Factors Determining the Future of Biotechnology in Africa • Proactive policy: Africa deciding for Africa • Biosafety legislation and institutions: ability to assess the technology for ourselves • Scientific capacity building: ability to appropriate & adapt biotechnology • IPR Regimes: protect and encourage private investments • Public awareness and acceptance: credible competent communication strategies.

  11. AU-NEPAD S&T Consolidated Plan of Action

  12. NEPAD/African Biosciences Initiative

  13. NEPAD/ABI Objectives contd.

  14. Challenges Facing Africa on Biotechnology and Biosafety • Lack of fund • Loss of technical expertise • Slow development of a biotechnology sector • Inadequate IPR infrastructure • Government not taking a more active political role in promoting the technology • Public acceptance

  15. Biotechnology funding in Africa • Gross expenditure on R&D less than 0.3% (some 0%) • International donors provide 75% of the R&D budgets • Bilateral donors: EU, DFID, USAID, DANIDA, GTZ, SIDA,CIDA, etc • Foundations: Rockefeller, BMGF, Gatsby Trust, IFS, KirkHouse Trust, etc • World Bank • Africa Development Bank • Others: IDRC, IFAD, MAE(France),CTA, etc

  16. Challenges for the Future • Continuing Responsible Stewardship - assessment of risk • Ensure that biotech crops in conjunction with conventional technologies can CONTRIBUTE to a more Sustainable Agriculture, Global Food, Feed & Fiber Security, Alleviation of Poverty and a Safer Environment • Improved Communication with Society. Knowledge-based decisions re GM crops

  17. Way Forward • Speed up the development of products with clear consumer benefits. • Improved Communication with Society. Knowledge-based decisions re GM crops. • Improve and maintain confidence in science and the government regulatory system. • Ensure that biotech crops in conjunction with conventional technologies can CONTRIBUTE to a more Sustainable Agriculture, Global Food, Feed & Fiber Security, Alleviation of Poverty and a Safer Environment Hoban, 2001

  18. Conclusion • “African leaders must significantly increase public investments in biotech R&D. Failure to do so will impair the continent’s capacity to have real transformation will remain low on technology development, transfer, adaptation & continue failing to exploit life sciences knowledge for the benefit of their citizens”

  19. “…the new ingredient in Biotech crops is not black magic or radioactivity; it is knowledge” Former Scientific Advisor to the European Union on Biotechnology

  20. Agricultural GM technology is here to stay • It is currently underutilized, despite its specific appeal to a wide range of farming systems • Biotechnology Information sharing and communication support are essential for biotechnology acceptance

  21. Thank you

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