Biotechnology in Africa Emergence, Initiatives and Future [Hardcover]

In this book, Florence Wambugu and Daniel Kamanga of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International bring together expert African authorities to critique various biotechnology initiatives and project future developments in the field in Africa. For the first time, African voices from multidisciplinary fields as diverse as economics, agriculture, biotechnology, law, politics and academia, demand to be allowed to set the continents biotech development agenda. This book argues that there is a great future for biotechnology in Africa which sidesteps western interests that do not match those of the local populace. In these diverse chapters, Africas political and scientific leaders demand a greater say in how research and development funds are allocated and spent. They argue that Africas political leaders must see both clear benefits and have elbow-room to drive the change required. This is the way that African governments can employ workable policies, suitable biosafety legislation and regulation and respond effectively to public-private partnerships. Wambugu and Kamanga show that biotechnology has the potential to improve food security and standard of living as well as mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change on the African continent.

In this agenda-setting analysis of science and policy, African experts assess the prospects of the biotech industry in the continent from a range of disciplinary perspectives that includes the economic, legal, and academic issues relevant to the sector.

Introduction: The Importance of Political Will in furthering Agricultural Biotechnology for Economic Growth, Food and Nutritional Security in Africa.- Commercialized Genetically Modified Crops: Biotech (Bt) Cotton in Burkina Faso Demonstrates that Political Will is Key for Biotechnology to Benefit Commercial Agriculture in Africa.- Opportunities and Challenges of Commercializing Biotech Products in Egypt: Biotech (l³