Online Reporter
Oliver Kazunga
NATIONAL Biotechnology Authority (NBA) chief executive officer and registrar, Deckster Savadye says his organisation is forging ahead with collaborating with tertiary institutions and the private sector to foster skills and industrial development.
Dr Savadye, who holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Parasitology and Biochemistry, Masters of Biotechnology and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Zimbabwe, is expected to present a paper on commercialisation of indigenous knowledge at the Industry-University Innovate Together Summit in Harare on Tuesday next week.
An experienced molecular biologist with more than 20 years of postdoctoral experience, Dr Savadye who was appointed to lead NBA in 2019, is a Graduate Fellow at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) based in Nairobi, Kenya.
It is hoped that his presentation at the upcoming summit would be invaluable to the country taking account that he has also worked at the University of Zimbabwe as an academic and the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC), as a research leader.
In an interview yesterday, Dr Savadye said the Industry-University Innovate Together Summit provides a platform for fostering linkages between industry and tertiary institutions.
“As NBA, we encourage collaboration in most of the projects that we are undertaking.
“We actually collaborate with the universities and other industries, for example, at our Marula factory in Rutenga, we collaborated with the Masvingo Polytechnic College.
“And we also collaborated with the private sector in providing some of the services,” he said.
The Marula factory in Rutenga produces products that include wine, oil and other by-products like briquettes for biofuel and bio-fertiliser.
“Now, with the universities, there are certain skills that we require in the industry that we also ask them to provide or to include in their curriculum, and the summit further creates a platform to discuss industry expectations from institutions of higher learning.
“For example, we now need bioprocess engineering, so we actually interact with the universities and ensure that they provide that expertise,” said Dr Savadye.
NBA has also collaborated with Muzarabani Rural District Council in Mashonaland Central Province, Bindura University of Science Education and the private sector in promoting bioprocessing engineering through a plant that will process masau fruit into various products that include juice.
In the biopharmaceutical side, NBA is also collaborating with institutions such as the University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Harare Institute of Technology, and Midlands State University.
“So, whenever we are doing a project, we look at the different partners who can add value to the project.
There’s a lot of potential in the application of biotechnology, and we would want to encourage the industry, the communities, the universities, and all other stakeholders to participate in bringing biotechnology into life in Zimbabwe,” he said
Mathew Masinge