Eastern Africa Bioeconomy Conference

Partners

Stockholm Environment Institute is partnering with organizers; the East Africa Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) and BioInnovate Africa, together with other partners; the Scinnovent Centre, Bio-Innovations Company Ltd, and African Technology Policy Studies Network in the two-day conference.

Blessed with abundant biological resources, Eastern Africa has a comparative advantage in developing an innovation-driven sustainable and inclusive bioeconomy. For the region, an innovation-driven bioeconomy can provide a viable pathway towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and contribute towards the African Union’s Agenda 2063 of a knowledge-based, innovation-led African economy.

The global need to address the climate emergency by reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an opportunity for the region to adopt sustainable and ecological production and consumption policies and practices. The region can avoid the pitfalls of a fossil-driven economy by adopting new bioeconomy models of growth and development. Bioeconomy can also help diversify economic growth through value addition to biological resources that will contribute to the region’s realization of its vision in an inclusive manner.

In this regard, the countries of Eastern Africa (Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda), with support from BioInnovate Africa Programme, are developing a regional innovation-driven bioeconomy strategy.

The regional strategy will enable countries to pull their resources to address shared regional priorities, while national strategies, will deal with highly contextual needs, and serve as 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.

The Eastern Africa regional innovation-driven Bioeconomy Observatory will be launched at the conference with discussions on the overview of strategy, and stakeholders will be mobilized to support its implementation. Additionally, the conference will provide an opportunity for scientists, technologists, and innovators from the academia, public and private sector to network and share their experiences of bioeconomy development in Africa, including an appropriate enabling environment to foster its growth. The conference will showcase bioinnovations to attract new investment opportunities.