Cameroon, a biotechnology champion

Biotechnology is a science that integrates the notions of life sciences, chemistry, engineering, computer science, bioinformatics and statistics, to find solutions in various sectors of application (pharmaceutical, agri-food, environmental, regulatory) and develop new organic products.

The objectives of the CRM for the biotechnology sector are:

• Make Cameroon a « lion of biotechnologies »
• Strengthen the development of biotechnologies to consolidate agriculture, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture
• Developing biotechnologies for sustainable forest management
• Develop biotechnology for food processing and safety
• Develop biotechnologies for production in the health field.

Requirements

To support the growth of biotechnology, we will take the following actions:

• Improve infrastructure and equip laboratories (advanced equipment);
• Facilitate access to information and documentation both in research centres and in universities and training schools (books, articles, periodicals and scientific journals);
• Increase accordingly the budget allocated to the financing of the operation of the research institutes, to the salary of the researchers, to the financing of the research projects;
• Improve the quality of post-secondary education by emphasising practical knowledge, which is essentially theoretical at the moment;
• Improve the conditions of researchers (salaries, autonomy, offices, laboratories, government and not foreign subsidies granted on a competitive and fair basis);
• Improve the conditions of students (research and mobility grants);
• Establish agreements with publishers of books, newspapers and scientific journals for the benefit of researchers and students

A national biotechnology research programme

• We will develop a national research programme that will specify each year the research priorities in biotechnology. This programme will be accompanied by a policy that will put the researcher, specialised institutions, universities and training schools, producers and manufacturers at the heart of the stakes. They should work together to identify issues, develop innovative development projects with clearly identified goals and clear timelines.
• A government research fund will be set up to promote and financially support research in biotechnology, the dissemination of results, the training of researchers and students (research fellowships, advanced training), the creation of SMEs or start-ups in biotechnologies
• In addition, we will encourage clusters of researchers in pole of excellence in specific fields, as well as associations of producers and processors in the sector. These associations of producers and processors will have to make their contributions to the funding of research projects according to their interests and the issues raised and will co-lead the national biotechnology agency with oversight over the management of the duly created biotechnology research fund.
• We will create a national biotech agency that will:

1- establish the genome of plants;
2- define the main directions in biotechnology;
3- coordinate research work in universities and ensure the industrialisation of the results that
derive therefrom;
4- Management of the biotechnology research fund

A national biotechnology research programme

Biotechnology being recognised as an appropriate tool for the promotion of sustainable development, our objectives to achieve food self-sufficiency, through such a tool, are:

• Improving the productivity of local crops
• Reduction of pesticide use
• Crop protection against pests and post-harvest losses;
• Improvement of nutritional quality;
• Biotechnological techniques will be used to create a national seed company, leading to the production of plants that will better and better respond to social or environmental constraints as well as increased yield.