East African Science & Technology Commission (EASTECO)
&
BioInnovate Africa
Official Partner of the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2020
BioInnovate Africa (BA) is a regional innovation-driven initiative stimulating a bioeconomy in Eastern Africa.
The initiative is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented as a Programme of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).
It operates in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda (and also collaborates with partners in South Sudan). The initiative assists these Eastern Africa countries to build sustainable bioeconomies based on revolutionary advances in bioscience and engineering, thereby diversifying sources of growth for the region’s population.
BioInnovate Africa is supporting 20 projects involving 300 scientists, business leaders, and policy makers in 100 organisations in the six participating countries. These actors work collaboratively on diverse products and processes that include: healthy foods, industrial enzymes, biopesticides, biofertilizers, insect-based proteins, phytochemicals, and bioeconomy strategies, creating opportunities for rural and urban communities.
Developing an innovation-led bioeconomy strategy for Eastern Africa
BioInnovate Africa is supporting the development of an innovation-driven bioeconomy strategy for Eastern Africa region.
The activity began in 2019, and has already motivated participating countries, e.g. Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania, to begin developing their own national bioeconomy strategies.
The regional strategy will enable countries to pull their resources to address shared regional priorities, while deal with highly
contextual needs, and also be a vehicle for domesticating regionally agreed actions.
The regional bioeconomy strategy focuses on increasing economic and social value of regionally traded bio-based goods and services, converting biowaste into useful material (thus promoting circular production), and connecting national, regional and global bio-based value chains.
News
The link provided below features a news article written by BioInnovate Africa Programme Manager, Dr Julius Ecuru.
It is published on Rural 21 – a magazine that deals with rural development in the Global South, which is supported by Germany’s Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC).
The article highlights about the opportunities arising from the development of an Eastern Africa bioeconomy strategy.
First Eastern Africa Bioeconomy Conference
BioInnovate Africa (BA) in collaboration with the East Africa Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) and its partners, have organised the first regional bioeconomy conference.
The theme of the conference is “Bioeconomy growth prospects for Eastern Africa”, and will be held virtually on 21 – 22 October 2020.
Activities at the GBS2020
EASTECO and BioInnovate Africa are leading the Spotlight Partner on Thursday 19th November from 5:20 to 5:50 pm (CET) and is participating the Partner Debate on Friday afternoon.