ICGEB was a strong presence at the 2023 Bio Africa Convention in the first week of September 2023. This years theme was Re-imagining Biotechnology Innovation for Africa’s Development and Security.
The 6th annual BIO Africa Convention took place in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, with the topics of food security, sustainability and biotech innovation leading the discussions. The goal of the Convention is the advancement of biotechnology development in Africa, providing an opportunity for dialogue and discussion with stakeholders in the global biotechnology industry.
The ICGEB, one of the Convention’s partners, has been actively participating in the Convention for several years. The ICGEB delegation, led by Director-General Dr. Lawrence Banks included the Cape Town Component Acting Director Dr. Luiz Zerbini, together with researchers from the ICGEB New Delhi and Cape Town.
ICGEB ran a series of pre-Convention Biotechnology Workshops at the BIO Africa Academy, with Dr Lara Donaldson facilitating a Workshop on Innovations in Agricultural Biotechnology, and Dr Stefano Cacciatore on Biological insight in Omics Data.
ICGEB participation also focused on Diversity in Clinical Trials – Non Communicable Diseases (Cancer Genomics), Sugarcane and Biofuels, discussions with Global Biotech Leaders, Cervical Cancer and Women’s Health awareness, as well as the ICGEB session focusing on the ICGEB and the role of Internationalisation in achieving SDGs for Africa.
