NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 — Renowned food scientist and rural development expert Professor Ruth Oniang’o has called on African governments to overhaul regulatory systems that she says are slowing innovation, delaying commercialization of new products and denying the continent much-needed jobs and investment. Speaking on the sidelines of the final day of the BioInnovate Africa Making Ideas Investable Boot Camp at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Professor Ruth Oniang’o warned that burdensome regulatory frameworks are stifling innovation across Africa and slowing the commercialization of homegrown bioeconomy solutions. She said innovators developing products ranging from organic fertilizers and medicines to cosmetics and food solutions are forced to spend years navigating regulatory processes that should take only a fraction of the time.
“Many times regulatory measures or the quest for them holds us back. Something that could have taken two or three years ends up taking like eight years, which is not necessary,” she said. Oniang’o urged governments, lawmakers and regulatory agencies across the continent to harmonize rules and streamline approval processes, noting that unnecessary bureaucracy is preventing promising innovations from reaching the market.
She questioned why products moving between neighbouring East African countries continue to face lengthy regulatory hurdles despite regional integration efforts. “Even if you moved a product from Uganda to Kenya, it has to go through regulation. Yet at one time we were just one continent.
What’s the difference between Uganda and Kenya, or Tanzania and Kenya?” she asked. The professor called on innovators to actively engage parliamentarians, policymakers and regulators to push for reforms that encourage innovation rather than hinder it. “We need to spend more time lobbying our parliamentarians, lobbying our politicians and those who work on regulations so they understand the barriers these systems create,” she said.
Oniang’o, a member of the BioInnovate Africa Programme Advisory Committee for more than five years, said Africa possesses immense untapped potential in the bioeconomy because of its rich natural resources. She noted that global demand for natural and organic products, including foods, herbal medicines, cosmetics and environmentally friendly agricultural inputs…
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