From lab to market: Strategies to nanotechnology commercialization in Africa
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From lab to market: Strategies to nanotechnology commercialization in Africa OPINION
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By Maluta Steven Mufamadi, Nabio Consulting Ltd, South Africa
anotechnology has the potential to affect many industrial sectors and every economic sector across the globe. It promises to offer new products with unique properties and advanced functionality using fewer raw materials and consuming less energy. Its worldwide market is expected to exceed USD$125 billion by 2024. Africa, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, in particular, have already invested in nanotechnology R&D and human capacity building or have ongoing research in nanotechnology.1 However, the majority of African countries are still in the early stages of R&D or have not prioritized nanotechnology, despite its potential.2 South Africa is the first African country to introduce a National Nanotechnology Strategy in 2005 through the Department of Science and Technology.3 The main objectives of the strategy were to support long-term nanoscience research and exploration of applications in the areas where nanotechnology can generate the most benefits, such as health, energy, water, chemical and bioprocessing, mining and minerals, and advanced materials. Today, almost all public universities and science councils in South Africa are working on
nanotechnology research or research that incorporates nanomaterials. Through the National Nanotechnology Equipment Programme, the South African government has made a substantial investment toward creating a critical mass of infrastructure to enable first-class basic research, exploration of applications, and human capacity development in nanotechnology.4 For infrastructure investment, the focus was on nanotechnology research equipment, clean rooms, and piloting facilities. Cutting-edge equipment for nanotechnology characterization available in some South African universities and science councils includes scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, atomic force microscopes, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopes, and a nanoindenter. However, such equipment is expensive to maintain and quickly becomes outdated, making it difficult for scientists in South Africa to keep up with scientists from around the world. Only a few African countries (e.g., South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco) are currently showing an interest in nanotechnology commercialization. Commercialization of nano-enabled
technologies in Africa could help toward mitigation of the critical challenges that the continent is facing today, such as poverty, disease, lack of access to clean drinking water, electricity, basic sanitation, medical facilities, inadequate housing and food, and climate change. The application of nanotechnology in medicine especially promises to offer unique potential for advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and ebola. In addition, inexpensive and simple handheld diagnostic devices that might not require expertise will
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