It is no secret that the history of development in Africa has been marked by the delivery of benefits in science, technology, and innovation to only a few of its citizens, without providing tools of development to the rest of the population. The proportion of people living in absolute poverty in Africa is higher now compared to what it was in the 1980s and 1990s, despite an improvement in continental GDP for that period. Food security, nutrition, health care, and environmental sustainability are among the continent’s biggest challenges. They are also areas that can reap significant benefits from biotechnologies.

The potential of biotechnology for Africa is great: it could enhance the nutritional value of grains and fruits, promote the use of biofertilizers, help develop diagnostic tests and vaccines for livestock diseases and infections that risk food security, and improve efficiency of producing fish in aquaculture—to name a few.

The factors that cripple development and prosperity in Africa are familiar and complicated. The majority of the population remains tied to the low-growth, labor-intensive agricultural sector. Inadequate primary schooling and the escalation and spread of conflicts further retard sustainable development. These concerns are alongside a host of other issues, including land and water degradation in the forms of desertification, deforestation, declining soil productivity, pollution, and the depletion of fresh water. The frequency and ferocity of these problems are likely to increase as climate change continues to bite. And of course, poor governance in many countries paints a grim picture for lasting development.

Biotechnology holds the promise of addressing many of these ills. Only a lack of human capacity—a key element in Africa’s lagging status—stands in the way. Therefore, Africa must invest in building physical, human, institutional, and societal capacities. More specifically, regional innovation clusters need to be created. Some will come about organically, but many will need to be nurtured. Africa needs to adjust national and regional policies to nurture higher education, R&D, and innovation.

Some of this clustering can occur in places where expertise already exists. Southern Africa, for instance, relatively well endowed with science and technology expertise as well as a traditional health care system, could focus on health biotechnologies. The region is in the grip of a disease crisis, particularly with tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. One of Africa’s most biologically diverse regions, Central Africa, could build and strengthen indigenous capabilities to identify, conserve, and sustainably use its precious resources. This clustering would require investment in people and in universities, to serve as centers of diffusion of new technologies into the economy. Not surprisingly, this will need to happen alongside infrastructure development on a large scale to build roads, railways, airports, schools, as well as systems for water, sanitation, telecommunications, and energy. Such investments would also encourage the development of small and medium-size enterprises, which are among the engines for economic growth. This is the way forward for Africa.

This piece was adapted from the report Freedom to Innovate: Biotechnology in Africa’s Development [549KB PDF), published in August 2007.

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