Agricultural Biotechnology Research Partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa (Technology Policy Brief)

A widely accepted mechanism for providing developing countries with access to proprietary biotechnology products and tools is the formation of partnerships between Southern and Northern research institutions and multinational private companies. Fostering North-South partnerships in biotechnology has become an important item in the agenda of multilateral and bilateral development agencies over the past decade, resulting in an increasing number of projects. However, the nature and characteristics of the partnerships, the processes of technology transfer and development, the achievements, and the challenges ahead are largely unknown, despite the importance of such information for policy decision-making. This UNU Technology Policy Brief, consisting of five short articles, describes a comparative study aimed at filling this knowledge gap for three east sub-Saharan African countries - Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.After a brief overview of the issues the briefing first describes the project database on North-South partnerships in agricultural biotechnology. This database was designed to store the empirical information collected by the study and allow for a combination of variables that are relevant to policy making. A preliminary version of the database is available and interested users can contact UNU-INTECH for more information.Three articles then provide a synopsis of the nature, main features and achievements of North-South research partnerships in agricultural biotechnology in each country before making some broad recommendations for policy interventions. Despite some cross-country differences, the authors emphasise the importance of Northern funding for biotechnology research. This support, however, needs to be better coordinated at the national level, as part of an overall biotechnology policy strategy developed in dialogue with local stakeholders. Among the latter, the private sector has yet to become a significant player in the process, a necessary requirement if agricultural biotechnology is to deliver its promises in Africa. [adapted from author]