Can open science communities fill the gaps in research and innovation in Africa?
As scientists continue to track both the economic and social impacts of the global COVID-19 health crisis, it is evident there is an urgency and need for fostering equitable access to scientific information and enhancing scientific collaborations to tackle global needs and increase resilience in societies. ‘Open Science’ communities are evolving movements across many countries that aim to leave no one behind with regard to access to science and its benefits, by openly sharing knowledge, innovations and scientific methodologies. Just One Giant Lab is committed to build cohesion and increase impact of communities for Open Science across Africa.
In its 2022 kick-off event last month, JOGL Africa held a community round table attracting innovators, researchers, STEM students and citizens to discuss trends in building science communities in Africa. The event was also an opportunity for JOGL to update participants on last year’s activities and invite their inputs into the 2022 programme.
The CEO of SynBio Africa-Geoffrey Otim- was invited to share the exciting journey of seeding and scaling synthetic biology in Africa through the SynBio Africa initiative. Synthetic Biology involves redesigning aspects of existing biological systems for useful purposes.
Geoffrey shared that Africa has a great opportunity to solve some of its pressing challenges in health, agriculture, and the environment with synthetic biology. Scientists are able to leverage low-cost breakthrough technology for DNA sequencing and synthesis of new products. This can contribute to sustainable socio-economic development in Africa.
In 2017, Geoffrey attended the SB7.0 synthetic biology conference in Singapore where he learnt about iGEM and their work enabling students from the world to solve problems through synthetic biology. When he returned to Uganda, Geoffrey shared his experience with some fellow students and faculty of Makerere University, presenting a concept on kick-starting synthetic biology on campus. A year later iGEM Makerere University and SynBio Africa were incorporated. SynBio Africa community is made up of volunteers and ambassadors from four regions in Africa. Together with the community members, Geoffrey organised the very first synthetic biology conference in Africa in October 2021. JOGL Africa Lead Gameli Adzaho presented on promoting bio-innovation in Africa through open science.
SynBio Africa community has been building capacity and growing its network widely across Africa. This year the community has sponsored forty-two scientists for bioinformatics and data science training - Geoffrey Otim, CEO SynBio Africa.
Geoffrey also revealed that SynBio Africa, is working on a phage -based cosmetic product which will soon be available in the market aiming to bring relief to people having acne a skin condition.
In 2022, SynBio Africa will have a series of training courses on Bioinformatics and Data Science, Bio safety and Bio security. Fellowship programs on synthetic biology and biosecurity in Africa are on-going, with the second International Synthetic Biology Conference in Africa scheduled for October 2022.
Two factors contributing to SynBio Africa’s success and achievements are dedication and consistency. In spite of the great achievements of SynBio Africa and other communities, and the high promises that synthetic biology brings to the table, many scientists in Africa continue to struggle with funding for their innovative projects.
We need to bring on board policy makers to create regulatory frameworks to untie our hands as scientists so that we can exploit our potential- Geoffrey Otim.
Only a few African countries, including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, have adopted some form of legislation that can allow for the use of synthetic biology and other newer technologies to build useful devices and systems.
Primarily SynBio Africa and JOGL Africa have similar visions and focus to increase open science in Africa through innovative communities. Both communities are set to collaborate more in various programs such as virtual events, providing open science enthusiasts with a platform to exchange and share scientific knowledge.
In 2021 JOGL Africa organised six community calls featuring 14 speakers and about 200 participants. We also started the ‘Africa Against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)’ initiative building community, strengthening capacity, and supporting innovative ideas to tackle the incidence of AMR on the continent.
The next JOGL Africa event will feature the Pan-African Robotics Competition in a discussion on the contributions of robotics to improving STEM education and creating sustainable impact. If you’re interested in partnering with JOGL Africa for our Community events in 2022, kindly get in touch via this form.
