September 3, 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa- Scientists, international development experts, diplomats and government officials are meeting in Johannesburg to assess how the use of biosciences can alleviate poverty and enhance sustainable development on the Continent.

Key on the agenda of the four-day conference, organised by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is the evaluation of the impact of the Finnish-Southern African Partnership Programme BioFISA, established jointly by the Governments of Finland and South Africa, where they collaborate to provide support for the Southern African Network for Biosciences (SANBio) initiative, established by NEPAD.

 “In its very short life time, BioFISA has demonstrated its relevance to the region and to the community in several ways.  It has brought about technology-based development in the sub-region by providing research support, increasing human and infrastructure capacity and promoting cross-country collaborations and partnerships,” said Mr Abdoul Salam Bello, Senior Coordinator of the CEO’s Office, on behalf of NEPAD Agency Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, at the opening of the event.

SANBio is a research network covering 12 countries in Southern Africa with the vision to utilise biosciences for socio-economic development, particularly in terms of contributing towards improved health, food security and sustainable livelihoods of the people in Southern Africa. 

“BioFISA has proven to be a valuable platform for supporting collaborative research in biosciences in the region. This will help to raise the level of African science and improve its impact too,” said Mr Aki Enkenberg, Counsellor, Embassy of Finland in Pretoria.

The BioFISA programme has funded eight regional research and development projects in fish and mushroom production, microbicides for HIV infection control, livestock diseases control, plant genetic resources guidelines, indigenous knowledge systems, bioinformatics and scientific validation of traditional remedies. The programme has improved the lives of more than 600 small-scale mushroom growers in Malawi, Namibia Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia.  More than 100 agriculture extension officers have been trained in mushroom farming.

Mr Mmboneni Muofhe, Chief Director of International Cooperation and Resources at South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), said “BioFISA will help to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development in Southern Africa through the use of new innovative bioscience products introduced by BioFISA.”

Director of SANBio, Professor Luke Mumba said that all the parties involved in BioFISA have given their commitment to support the second phase of the programme, which started in 2012. The governments of Finland and South Africa provided about 3.9 million euros under the first phase in 2009.

Participants to the conference will present papers on how bioscience can benefit common challenges that impact on human health, agriculture productivity, biodiversity and environmental management. They will be awarded at the end of the conference for their contribution in advancing the implementation of BioFISA.