Africa’s regulatory frameworks for novel bioeconomy products are holding back innovation, commercialisation and jobs, a senior food scientist warned at a Nairobi bioinnovation forum this week.
Barriers slow products from lab to market
Speaking on 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 said innovators developing organic fertilisers, medicines, cosmetics and food solutions face protracted approval processes. She argued that measures meant to protect safety and standards are instead delaying commercialisation and deterring investment.
Oniang’o, who has served on the BioInnovate Africa Programme Advisory Committee for more than five years, said many regulatory assessments take far longer than necessary. She highlighted examples where projects that could move from concept to market in two to three years end up taking as long as eight.
“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 called for harmonisation of rules across countries and for regulators, lawmakers and parliamentarians to be engaged in reform so that approval processes are streamlined.
Regional integration not matching regulatory practice
Oniang’o questioned why products moving between neighbouring East African states still encounter lengthy approval hurdles despite efforts towards regional integration. She asked why a product from Uganda, for example, should have to undergo separate, time‑consuming regulation to enter Kenya.
Her remarks underline a recurring problem in regional markets: policy or administrative alignment does not always translate into coordinated regulatory practice at the national level. That dissonance can impede trade in innovative goods and services that might provide livelihoods and strengthen food systems.
Engagement and lobbying as part of the solution
Beyond calling for harmonisation, Oniang’o urged innovators to take a proactive role in shaping the regulatory environment. She advised entrepreneurs and researchers to engage directly with policymakers and parliamentarians so those who design and enact rules better understand the practical barriers innovators face.
“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,”
Her emphasis on advocacy reflects a belief that regulatory reform will be achieved through a combination of technical alignment, political will and stakeholder engagement.
Implications for jobs, investment and the continent’s bioeconomy
Professor Oniang’o framed the regulatory bottlenecks as not merely bureaucratic irritation but as factors that deny the continent “much‑needed jobs and investment.” The implication is that hastening approval pathways, while maintaining safety, could encourage commercialisation of homegrown solutions and attract financing to scale promising technologies.
Her comments were made in the context of BioInnovate Africa’s mission to bridge research and business and to make ideas investable. The organisation supports projects across the bioeconomy — an area widely seen as a potential engine for sustainable development in Africa.
- Primary concern: lengthy regulatory processes for bioeconomy products.
- Proposed actions: harmonise rules across countries; streamline approvals; increase engagement between innovators and lawmakers.
- Expected benefits: faster commercialisation, job creation and increased investment in local innovations.
| Issue | Effect |
|---|---|
| Protracted approval timelines | Delays commercialisation; increases cost and risk for innovators |
| Fragmented national regulations | Hinders cross‑border trade and regional scaling |
| Limited policymaker engagement | Regulatory frameworks misaligned with innovation needs |
Reforming regulatory systems will not be straightforward. It requires balancing public safety, consumer protection and environmental concerns against the urgent need to translate research into viable products and businesses. But for advocates such as Oniang’o, the imperative is clear: harmonised, efficient regulation can make the difference between an idea that remains in the lab and one that creates jobs and boosts local economies.
As BioInnovate Africa and other programmes continue to foster links between research and industry, the conversation Oniang’o highlights — between innovators, regulators and legislators — is likely to intensify across the continent.
