Africa needs new organisations to support innovation


Lazarus Sauti

Calestous Juma, professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, United States believes that new institutions are needed to modernise farming in countries within and across the African continent.

Professor Juma said that the scientific community in Africa should therefore create a new generation of intergovernmental organisations that promote innovative science to address economic problems in Africa.

“Science, technology and engineering are crucial to overcoming challenges in various sectors including health and agriculture. Yet, key international organisations do not encourage the role of innovation in development.

“For example, sustainable agriculture and food production in Africa will only be possible with biotechnology and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

“But, organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have even opposed the use of biotechnology in regions that stand to benefit from it,” Juma said.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), created by the 1992 Earth Summit to advance fair sharing of the benefits of biotechnology, has limited the use of GMOs.

Professor Juma urged countries in the African continent to ‘break the logjam’ by setting up new international organisations that focus on innovation.

 

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