Remarks by the Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, on the occasion of the launch of South Africa's Bio-Economy Strategy, held at the CSIR International Convention Centre
Programme Director, Dr Sibongile Gumbi,
Representatives of sister departments,
Representatives of academia,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentleman.
Thank you for joining us this afternoon as we unveil South Africa's Bio-economy Strategy.
The shift from biotechnology to bio-economy.
The term "bio-economy" encompasses biotechnological activities and processes that translate into socio-economic outputs. The Bio-economy Strategy shifts the focus from developing the biotechnology sector to developing a bio-economy. The bio-economy strategy builds on our solid base in biotechnology.
Importantly, the bio-economy takes this solid base forward by promoting collaboration with players in fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), environment, and the social sciences. This will establish a framework for the multidisciplinary research, development and economic commercialisation that will support innovative solutions to challenges in the agriculture, health and industrial sectors.
In the South African context, this may involve the technological and non-technological use of natural resources, such as animals, plant biodiversity, micro-organisms and minerals, to contribute to economic growth and improved quality of life in the fields of human health and food security, among others.
The National Biotechnology Strategy of 2001 was aimed at initiating the development of biotechnologies and associated products and services to build and strengthen the vital science-based innovation system of the country.
Through this strategy, a number of successes came about, including the establishment of 14 technology platforms, the creation of 940 jobs, the awarding of 493 bursaries and the creation of 221 products.
Notwithstanding these achievements, the strategy was limited in its ability to deal with the fragmented bio-based system; was not able to produce large biotech companies or research and development branches, or result in the acquisition of spin-offs or locally-developed technologies. There was also insufficient industry/government pull.
The bio-economy strategy takes the National Biotechnology Strategy to the next level, creating an enabling environment that will allow government departments, industry, venture capital and other stakeholders to move forward with initiatives that will be able to meet the challenges and embrace the opportunities of the future.
We are confident that the strategy we are launching today will address the full value chain, going beyond the mere generation of new technologies to ensuring that technology development is informed by the needs of the country and people, and that social and economic value is generated. If we look at the sustainable utilisation of resources and encourage role players to work together to achieve common goals, we will be helping to close the innovation chasm.
While the common thread between the National Biotechnology Strategy and the Bio-economy Strategy is biotechnology or bio-based solutions, our experience has led to the new strategy departing from the 2001 strategy in two fundamental ways.
First, the Bio-economy Strategy has a stronger emphasis on socio-economic impacts than on just the development of biotechnologies. Secondly, it proposes strong linkages with sister departments, industry and other stakeholders, thereby ensuring the relevance of the Department of Science and Technology's initiatives.
One of South Africa's greatest assets is the combination of its rich biological diversity and its wealth of indigenous knowledge. Our country is the world's third most biologically diverse country and is home to almost 10% of the world's known plant species and 15% of all known coastal marine species, including a newly identified lobster that has been named after Madiba (munidopsis mandelai).
This capital can be used to the country's advantage in the current economy through multidisciplinary approaches, including providing raw materials for the natural product sector; bio-prospecting with the aim of developing pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical and industrial applications; and using indigenous plants and animals as food sources.
The drafting of this Bio-economy Strategy has been a consultative process involving a number of our sister departments, academics and industry experts. The specialists from my department will have more to say in a moment on the process and the planned implementation of the strategy.
As a department we are excited about this milestone, and we look forward to joining hands with industry and other role players in making South Africa's bio-economy sector a force to be reckoned with.
Thank you!
