The State of the Bioeconomy in Eastern Africa: 2022

Abstract

The promotion of a bioeconomy is high on the agenda for many countries globally, as a major strategic driver for the transformation of biobased sectors for sustainable economic growth and development. A central feature of the bioeconomy is that scientific research, knowledge and innovation can be applied not only for the production of food, feed, fibre and fuel but also to produce a wide range of agro-industrial and value-added products. Another critical element of the bioeconomy is to build value around local bioresources, maximising and using all parts of primary produce and their products. Today, more than 65% of the population in Eastern Africa depends on biological resources for food, energy, medicine, and other uses. They frequently use these biological resources in their raw form and dispose of significant portions as biological waste. There is therefore huge potential to add value to these biological resources through the development of a bioeconomy. Bioeconomy growth offers an opportunity for countries in Eastern Africa to achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, making use of the region’s abundant natural resources to produce value added products, thereby creating jobs, improving health and food security, generating wealth, and connecting smallholder farmers to new biobased value chains. Additionally, the creation of new forms of sustainable bioenergy, and the conversion of waste materials to useful products, will play an important role in protecting the environment and combating climate change.