Presented as part of the "Moving Africa Towards a Knowledge Based Bio-economy" seminar on how agricultural innovation and in particular biosciences in areas such as breeding, agro-processing and value addition can contribute to economic growth and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key questions of the seminar: How the millions of resource-poor smallholder farmers, so vital for food production and economic growth, can benefit from the prospects of a new bio-economy? How countries in Sub-Saharan Africa can develop programmes, institutional capabilities and bioscience innovation structures able to adapt and use technologies and know-how based on their own priorities and needs? How can Sweden assist countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to move Towards a Knowledge Based Bio-economy?

1. Functional bioscience innovation
systems as the pathway to a
sustainable bio-economy: experience
from Uganda
Julius Ecuru
At SIANI/SEI, Stockholm
27 September 2013

3. Highlights
• Opportunities for promoting bioscience
innovations for sustainable dev’t are emerging in
Uganda and the region;
• Action is needed to address policy and technical
challenges;
• Taking an innovations systems approach and
building functional innovation systems can be one
way to overcome the challenges.

4. Uganda’s dev’t goal
• Ugandan’s aspire to attain
middle income country
status as soon as possible.
(Vision 2040)
• This requires GDP growth
of > 7% p.a.
– A growing population
projected to reach 90
million people in 2050!
– A growing middle class &
rapidly urbanizing
communities

5. • Private sector is to be the engine for growth;
• Science, tech & innovation the driving force.

6. Main efforts to promote private sector
dev’t
• Macro-economic stabilization
• Led to rapid GDP growth in the 90s & early 2000s, peaking 12%
in late 90s; but has stagnated at about 5% p.a. in last decade.
• Reducing cost of doing business
• Regulatory reforms;
• Infrastructure dev’t, e.g. roads, electricity, water, communication.
– However, while the interventions have led to gains in short
term, increased growth & improvements in living
standards in the long term requires innovation.

7. Uganda’s competitive advantage
• Arguably the country’s
greatest asset:
– Biodiversity (including
agro-biodiversity)
– Human resources
• Thus, investing in
science, tech &
innovation is absolutely
essential for Uganda’s
future growth;

8. • The key issue is how to
invest in, use and direct
science, tech & innovation
efforts towards a
sustainable future for the
country and region.
– E.g.
• Adding value to genetic
resources;
• Building human capital---
skills & innovation
capabilities in the
biosciences;

9. • One of the sustainable dev’t pathways could be
to build functional bioscience innovation
systems.
– Taking “innovation system” both conceptually and
also in reality.
• i.e. the networks and interactions among diverse actors
in the production, use and diffusion of knowledge.
Lundvall, Edquist, et al.

10. Some examples

11. 1. Fruit innovation system- a community initiative
• In 2005 a group of about 30 micro
and small scale (firm size 1-50
employees), but most cottages,
with help of university, established
themselves as an innovative
business cluster for fruit
processing.
– Fruit e.g. mango, pineapple, papaya,
jack fruit, oranges, tomato, pumpkin,
passion fruit
– Innovations in blending & herbal
preservatives
• Their motivation was to add value
to local fruits in order to create
jobs for the youth & diversify
household incomes.

12. Fruit
Processing
Govern-
ance
Human
capital
Financing
Makerere Univ
UIRI
UEPB
Farmers
SNV
URSB
UNFF
MAAIF
Enterprise Uganda
Processors/ LFPC
Kyambogo Univ
Acronyms
URSB-Uganda Registration Services Bureau
UNFF-Uganda National Farmers’ Federation
UNBS-Uganda National Bureau of Standards
NAADS-National Agricultural Advisory Services
Pres’ Office-President’s Office
MAAIF-Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries
UEPB-Uganda Exports Promotion Board
NOGAMU-National Organic Manufacturers in Uganda
NARL-National Agricultural Research Laboratories
UMA-Uganda Manufacturers’ Association
SNV-SNV Netherlands Development Organization
LFPC-Luwero Fruit Processing Cluster
UIRI-Uganda Industrial Research Institute
PSF-Private Sector Foundation
MFPED-Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
LDFA-Luwero District Farmers’ Association
UDC-Uganda Development Cooperation
MTIC-Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives
Irish Aid
Local Gov’t
NARL
NOGAMU
NAADS
UNBS
Larger Scale Fruit
Processors
PSF
UMA
Pres’ Office
Raw Material Suppliers
MFPED
LDFA
UDC
MTIC
dr
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sr
sr
sr
sr
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Ecuru et al 2012

13. Key issues & challenges
• Learning by interacting & collaboration with university scientists
is central.
• Packaging extremely expensive > 50% of cost of production
• New entrants (firms) increasing, but few survive;
• Broad policy recognition of fruit processing in agric dev’t plan;
but no specific goals & incentives to drive ambition and creation
of markets;
• No quality marks, no trade marks;
• No easy access to credit, red tape; high interest rates typically
>10% p.a.

14. 2. Innovation system for crop improvement –
Tissue Culture
• Local scientists working
collaboratively with
Swedish
universities, develop
technologies for
producing clean planting
material:
– Disease elimination/virus
indexing
– Protocols for micro-
propagation (tissue culture)
of disease free & high
yielding crop varieties.

15. • Agree to work with
an entrepreneur who
sets up a
commercial tissue
culture lab for
bananas;
• Afterwards, also
venture on their
own to establish
commercial TC
labs.

16. • Currently 4 small
companies, with
combined capacity for
slightly over a million
tissue culture banana
plantlets p.a.
• Estimated to meet less
than 5% of current
demand for banana
plantlets;
• 1 plantlet for 1 USD;

17. Tissue
Culture
Govern-
ance
Human
capital
Financing
Makerere Univ
UIRI
Farmers
ASARECA
URSB
UNFF
MAAIF
Enterprise Uganda
Nursery Operators
Kyambogo Univ
Acronyms
URSB-Uganda Registration Services Bureau
UNFF-Uganda National Farmers’ Federation
UNBS-Uganda National Bureau of Standards
NAADS-National Agricultural Advisory Services
UNCST-Uganda National Council for Science and Technology
UCDA-Uganda Coffee Development Authority
MAAIF-Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries
NARL-National Agricultural Research Laboratories
TCBN-Tissue Culture Business Network
ASARECA-Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa
UDB-Uganda Development Bank
UIRI-Uganda Industrial Research Institute
PSF-Private Sector Foundation
MFPED-Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
URA-Uganda Revenue Authority
UIA-Uganda Investment Authority
MTIC-Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives
UBBC-Uganda Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium
MoES-Ministry of Education and Sports
KAZARDI-Kachwekano Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute
SciFode-Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development
USAID-United States Agency for International Development
USAID
NARL
SciFode
NAADS
UNBS
Tissue Culture Firms
PSF
UNCST
Inputs Suppliers
MFPED
TCBN
UDB
MTIC
NACCRI
KAZARDI
Busitema Univ
UIA
URA
UCDA
Lab Equipment
Suppliers
MoES
UBBC
Ecuru et al 2012

18. Key issues & challenges
• Studies to ascertain performance of in vitro plantlets
in field conditions; new protocols for multiplication;
understanding seed distributions systems;
• New entrants, mostly university & PRO scientists;
• Policy encourages production of clean seed to
farmers; but specific goals, targets and incentives
needed to attract investment in the area.
• Systematic market analysis required;

19. Building functional bioscience innovation
systems can be one of the ways to a sustainable
bio-economy in Uganda and the region.

20. What can be done?
1. Set up/develop business incubators
– Private sector in Uganda is small and weak,
particularly in the biosciences. Therefore,
universities & public research orgs should play an
enhanced role in “growing” the private sector.
Business incubation is one way to do so.

21. 2. Have in place more enabling policies &
strategies
– Policies & strategies with clear goals and which
provide incentives to drive investment in both
macro and micro systems of innovation---products
and services;
– Requires studies, & capacity strengthening for
evidence based policy making.

22. 3. Build local capabilities (human & technical
skills improvement)
– Utilize the latent potential in the universities---
make this the hub for research and innovation to
address local challenges of global importance.

23. Conclusion
• Partners can work together to build functional
bioscience innovation systems as a pathway to
a bio-economy not only in Uganda but in all of
eastern and most parts of Africa.
• The public sector will continue to play a vital
role in the process.

24. Thank you