Africa: Open for business – Building the Bio-Economy together

 

In the last decade or so, there has been a steady increase in the development and adoption of Bio-economy strategies by a number of countries. The growing number of bio-economy strategies being developed signifies and reinforces the importance of bio-economy to sustainable address social, environmental and economic challenges.

 

The inaugural BIO Africa Convention – Africa’s Biotech Indaba, a first of its kind in Africa, with the aim of supporting and boosting the growing bio-economy on the continent will be held at the Durban ICC from 27 – 29 August 2018.

 

Given the central role that bio-economy plays in the attainment of a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), there is even a more compelling argument for African countries that are yet to formulate their bio-economy strategy to urgently do so.  South Africa, aligned the SDGs in pioneering the adoption and implementation of the bio-economy through their developed strategy.

 

Africa has to ‘catch-up’ with most of the emerging countries whose economies have flourished due to advances in biosciences research, innovation, and development. Bio based innovations offer technological solutions to many of the economic, social, and environmental sustainability challenges facing Africa. Applications of such, can increase the supply and sustainable production of food; improve the health of humans and livestock, enhance manufacturing and conserve the environment and biodiversity.

 

There has also been growing appetite in many regions of the continent to formulate national policy that directly or indirectly supports the Bio-economy Strategy development. An inter-ministerial panel comprising of various ministers from across the continent will also discuss and debate, Hurdles to growing the agricultural biotech in Africa.

 

In light of these developments, The Bio Africa Convention will provide a platform and opportunity to have a regional perspective on the development and rolling of the Bio-economy Strategies in the African continent

 

Under the theme “Africa: Open for Business – Together building the Bio-Economy”, BIO Africa Convention plans to provide a platform to network and unlock the potential to extract value from Africa’s unique microbial biodiversity by providing opportunities for strategic and consistent investment in cutting edge technologies that will enable the discoveries for novel industrial relevant bio-molecules.

 

The BIO Africa Convention is an international event organized by AfricaBio, a biotechnology association in partnership with Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and Innovative Pharmaceutical association South Africa (IPASA) and endorsed by the South African Department of Science and Technology.  SA Minister of Science and Technology, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane will officially open the BIO Africa Convention.

 

“The BIO Africa Convention will create an enabling environment for business to business interaction and foster partnerships between local companies and international investors, as well as strategic collaborations by industry players across the continent to promote and develop Africa’s bio-economy” Dr Siyabulela Ntutela, AfricaBio, CEO.

 

For more information, contact Charlotte De La Harpe, Project Manager on +27 12 844 0126 or Charlotte@africabio.com