BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - Biotechnology Issues in Africa

The word 'biotechnology' means different things to different people. In a narrow sense biotechnology means the use and exploitation of microorganisms to produce products of industrial or commercial interest. In this sense, one can argue that Africans have been adept at traditional biotechnology for food or beverage production. Beer brewing, cheese making, and production of sour milk are obvious examples. The exploitation of genetically engineered microorganisms, centred on the technology of genetic engineering or recombinant DNA, constitutes modern biotechnology. This definition is rather narrow. Biotechnology should therefore be seen as a pervasive new suite of technologies with current or potential applications in a large number of industries, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mining, forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and food processing (Arunde and Rose, 1998). These technologies include recombinant DNA, gene probes, DNA amplification, tissue culture, somatic embryogenesis, classical and traditional breeding, bioprocessing (fermentation and recovery), and biosensing