Networking for biotechnology: existing
and new avenues for Africa wide
collaboration
Charles Mugoya
AMASA –Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
11-13 November 2013
Introduction
 Biotechnology networks have provided:
 An effective means for enhancing scientific co-operation
and maximizing information exchange between advanced
research centers and African institutions
 A channel for building up reserves of skilled human
resources and infrastructure capacity
 An efficient mechanism to avail proprietary biotechnologies
in Africa
 A link for public-private sector research collaboration in
biotechnology R&D initiatives
Outline
 Attempt to categorize existing networks in
biotechnology and biosafety in Africa
 Discuss networking initiatives in biotechnology and
biosafety in Africa
 Appraise performance of past and current networks
 Make recommendations for enhanced continental
wide collaboration to advance biotechnology in Africa
First Generation Biotechnology Networks
Benefited from the support of UN agencies UNDP,
UNEP GEF, UNIDO, UNESCO, UNECA, FAO, WHO
and groupings like OECD
African Association for Biological Nitrogen
Fixation (AABNF)
 Founded in 1982 to promote the use of biological
nitrogen fixation in Agriculture
 Worked with multidisciplinary teams in East, North &
West Africa to promote biological nitrogen fixation in
Africa
 A famous product out of this collaboration was a
commercial inoculant known as Biofix
Biotechnology Education and Training
Centre (BETCEN)
 An Africa wide capacity building network established
in 1995 by the Biotechnology Action Council (BAC)
of UNESCO to provide short and medium term
training and internships in plant biotechnology
 Operated from the Roodeplaat Vegetable and
Ornamental Plant Institute of the Agricultural
Research Council (ARC) in Pretoria, South Africa
 Trained several hundred african scientists and
technicians.
The African Biosciences Network (ABN)
 Active from 1983-1992 as a co-operative mechanism
between bio-scientists in sub-Saharan Africa and
international scientific community
 Commissioned and projects biotechnology projects
in agro-forestry, medicinal plants and bio-control of
insect pests and vectors and bilharzia
 Credited for organizing major international
conferences, symposia and training courses training
over 1000 African scientists in biotechnology
Cassava Biotechnology Network (CBN)
 Founded in 1988 by scientists at CIAT to maximize
improvement of cassava in developing countries
 The network has promoted farmer-managed low-cost
tissue culture laboratories and stimulated local private
sector in cassava farming
 Network is dominated by stakeholders from
developing countries
Continental and Sub-regional networks
Africa Biosciences Initiative (ABI)
 ABI was established under NEPAD to
harness the biological applications in the
area of human health, agriculture and
environment. The four regional networks
are:
 Biosciences eastern and central Africa Network
(BecANet)
 Southern African Network for Biosciences (SANBio)
 West African Biosciences Network (WABNet)
 North African Biosciences Network (NABNet).
BecANET
 Established as part of the African Union/ New
Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU/NEPAD)
African Biosciences Initiative (ABI)
 BecA Hub is a shared agricultural research and
biosciences platform that works closely with nodes
in 19 countries in the ECA
 Hosts graduate MSc, PhD students and visiting
scientists to use Hub facilities
SANBio
 Was also established as part of the African Union/
New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(AU/NEPAD) African Biosciences Initiative (ABI)
 Builds and strengthens capacity in biosciences so as
to utilize natural resources sustainably and create
wealth in 12 countries of the Southern African subregion
 Addresses disciplines in areas of Bioinformatics, HIV,
IK and medicinal plants
WABNet
 WABNet was established to strengthen bioscience
capacity in West Africa.
 Addresses identified priorities which include:
 Building inventories and characterization of west
African sorghum genetic resources;
 Using molecular diagnostics for animal and plant
diseases
 Using plant tissue/cell culture and micro propagation
 Using vaccines for livestock production and animal
reproduction technologies
NABNet
 NABNet covers 6 countries in North Africa with a
hub at the National Research Centre of Egypt
 Started with a flagship projects on the production of
biotic and abiotic stress tolerant (bio-fortified) barley
varieties and protection of date palms against major
pathogens and bio-insecticides for biological control
 Now working on bio-fortified and drought tolerant
transgenic plants are under green house tests
African Biosafety Network of Expertise
(ABNE)
 Is a continent-wide service network
established in 2008 to builds functional
biosafety systems by empowering African
regulators with science-based information
 Operates with multidisciplinary expertise
in bio-safety systems including food
safety, environmental safety, socioeconomic impact, intellectual property and
legal issues
 Publishes regular policy briefs on
environmental, socio-economic, food
safety, legal and policy issues
African Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy
Platform (ABBPP)
 Aims to harness Biotechnology for the
advancement of African Agriculture by:
 Promoting policy dialogues to stimulate
local investment in biotechnology
 Enhancing awareness of African
stakeholders on issues of biotechnology
and biosafety
 Disseminating biotechnology information
on biotechnology and biosafety for use
Strengthening capacity for safe biotechnology
management in Sub-Sahara Africa” (SABIMA)
 A FARA initiative that strengthens Africa’s
capacity in sound biotechnology
management at research and business levels
 Developed to train stewardship leaders in
FARA, SROs and scientists in stewardship 6
countries of Africa
 Addresses quality management issues at
laboratory, contained and confined field
trials, seed multiplication and commercial
level principles in value chain
Networks by Economic Regional Blocks
Regional Approach to Biotechnology and Biosafety
Policy in Eastern and Southern Africa (RABESA)
 Initiated by COMESA Ministers of Agriculture
Trade and Environment with the broad
objective of supporting harmonization of
biosafety policies among its member states
 Has developed and adopted a policy on
biotechnology and biosafety
 Encouraging member states to implement the
policy through ACTESA
Independent International and Regional NGO
Networks
AfricaBio
 Was established in South Africa in the
1990s to build capacity in all aspects
of biotechnology and biosafety in
Africa
 Has distinguished itself as a strong
voice that has stimulated development
of new biotechnology products in
southern Africa
 Backstops many institutions in SADC
region to comply with biotechnology
and biosafety regulatory requirements
International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)
 ISAAA AfriCenter was established in 1994
to enhance food security and reduce in
Sub-Saharan Africa through appropriate
biotechnological interventions.
 ISAAA disseminates information on
biotechnology
 Facilitates testing and adaptation for CFTs
 Creates an enabling policy environment for
sound decision-making relating to biotech
crops
 Publishes the annual global trends of
GMOs
The African Biotechnology Stakeholders
Forum (ABSF)
 Founded in the year 2000 by
Kenyan scientists to create an
enabling environment for
biotechnology in a responsible
and sustainable manner
 Credited for establishing ABNETA
- a platform that promotes
communication and collaboration
among stakeholders in
biotechnology developments.
Biotechnology Trust Africa (BTA) and
African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS)
 BTA was establsihed in the 1980s to
promote the application of Biotechnology
through a bottom-up in Africa and
facilitates Biotechnology research and
development activities with a special focus
on the resource-poor.
 BTA works with the African Technology
Policy studies on Intellectual Property
Rights (IPRs) relating to Biotechnology
RAEIN-AFRICA
 Network established in
Zimbabwe in the late
90’s with to enhance
capacity of
stakeholders in
biosafety for
sustainable
development in Africa
Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation
International (AHBFI)
 Africa Harvest is a non-profit organization
with a global vision and an African focus
prioritising Africa staple crops and trees
typically grown by small-scale farmers for
subsistence
 Building technical expertise and institutional
capacity so that Africa too can generate its
own science and technology products

Building awareness and knowledge among
target audiences including the media, policy
makers, farmers and other stakeholders
Biosciences for farming in Africa (B4FA)
 Promotes Science
communication and
understanding in Africa
 Works in 4 countries in Africa
Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and
Tanzania where it offers basic
training for media on genetics
and plant breeding
 Offers unique opportunity for
scientists to showcase what
they do how and why.
Development Partner led Networks
East African Regional Programme and Research Network
for Biotechnology, Biosafety and Biotechnology Policy
Development (BIO-EARN)
 Created in late 90’s to develop
biotechnology human capital and
infrastructure in eastern Africa so as to
facilitate strategic biotechnology research in
agriculture, environment and industry
 Sponsored training of PhD students and
MSc students and equipped many
laboratories
 Equipped senior scientists with capacity to
carry out collaborative research, with
advanced labs abroad
 Stimulated biotechnology policy
development
Bio-resources Innovations Network for
Eastern Africa Development (Bio-Innovate)
 Bio-Innovate builds on the achievements
of the BIO-EARN program and was
established to benefit a lot from the
facilities at Beca Hub
 Undertakes multidisciplinary competitive
product orientated bioscience innovation
activities in Eastern Africa.
 Focus is on projects to improve crop
productivity and resilience to climate
change and for improve the efficiency of
the agro-processing industry
Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project
(ABSP II)
 Is a USAID-funded consortium of public
and private sector institutions supporting
scientists, regulators, extension workers,
farmers and the general public in
agricultural biotechnology in 10 countries
of Africa
 Focuses on the safe and effective
development and commercialization of
bio-engineered crops as a complement to
traditional and organic agricultural
approaches
Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS)
 Network managed IFPRI
working with African countries
to promote science-based
biosafety and biotechnology
regulatory services,
stakeholder outreach and
communication strategies and
legal analysis/advice
 Supports partner countries at
least 6 countries in the
responsible development and
use of biotechnology
African Agricultural Technology Foundation
(AATF)
 AATF was established to provide
brokerage services for IP management,
regulatory compliance, public awareness
and management of public-private
partnerships for delivery of productivity
enhancing technologies to small holder
farmers
 The Open Forum on Agricultural
Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) is one of
AATF projects that creates awareness on
biotechnology in seven countries of Africa
University led Networks
The Regional Universities Forum for
Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
 RUFORUM is a consortium of 25
universities in Eastern, Central
and Southern Africa established
in 2004 to reinvigorate
Agricultural research through
M.Sc and Ph.D training
 One of RUFORUM grant awards
is dedicated towards MSc and
PhD training and research in
Agricultural biotechnology
BIOSAFE TRAIN
•
Collaborative venture between
East African and Danish
Universities to build research
capacity in biotechnology and
biosafety in Universities in
eastern Africa.
•
Undertake capacity building
activities in the area of
biosafety with a focus on risk
assessment and risk
management
•
Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science
and Technology (NM-AIST)
 The Life Sciences and
Bioengineering Program at
the University has been set
up for biosciences research
 Collaborates closely with
BecA on joint genomic
research projects
 Placed students at BecA
hub while BecA faculty give
lectures at NM-AIST
BiONET Africa
 BiONET was established by ICIPE as a network of
African universities which sought to enhance
capacity in biotechnology and biosafety
 The network principal activity is the postgraduate
fellowship programme for graduate students training
in biotechnology
 BiONET undertakes short term refresher course for
university professors, to provide them with
information on the latest research and policy
developments in biotechnology and biosafety
National led networks
National Biotechnology Development
Agency (NABDA)
 Established by the Nigerian government to coordinate,
promote and regulate the development of biotechnology
in the country and promote indigenous competence in
the development and application of biotechnology
 Aims at developing viable and commercial biotechnology
and technologies through strategic investments in
biotechnology R & D to support innovation and
economic development
 Fosters national and international collaboration between
government/agencies and all other stakeholders in
development of biotechnology
Concluding Remarks
 Networks have contributed to the training of a critical mass of
research personnel and provision of infrastructure and
equipment for biotechnology research in African countries
 Networks have fostered linkages between African countries and
advanced laboratories
 Networks have facilitated multi-stakeholder dialogue on
biotechnological activities of relevance to national and regional
needs
 Networks have also promoted cooperation between universities,
research institutions, the private sector and government
agencies
Key lesson
 African countries need to establish a clear
national biotechnology policies, regulatory
and institutional frameworks for enhanced
continental wide collaboration to advance
biotechnology in Africa