Collaboration in biotechnology governance: why should African countries worry about those among them that are technologically weak?

Abstract

African countries are at different stages in the use and regulation of modern biotechnologies. A three-year case study of efforts towards cross-national cooperation in the development of policies and regulatory measures for biotechnology in southern Africa revealed that these differences were seen as one ingredient that could give positive impetus towards coordinated development and management of the technology through experience-sharing among the countries. Cooperation would help to build the necessary scale economies to position the region not only as a strong force to resist technology and product dumping and other malpractices, but also as an attractive region for favourable technologies and products. Even in the face of countries enjoying different bilateral and multilateral partnerships, many argued that those separate partnerships would benefit from the backdrop of a united and coherent region. This article traces some of the arguments, presenting a case for why African countries whether weak or strong with respect to biotechnology may still find cooperation a viable option for strengthening their various positions around this technology and its regulation.