In East Africa, various techniques are used to control mosquitoes, but have harmful toxic side effects, have limited preventative effects, or are not adapted to the biting patterns of Anopheles mosquitoes. Personal protection through repellents can reduce bites and disease transmission.
Different repellent-based products have been commercialized for prevention of mosquito bites. However, the process of moving from R&D through innovation to commercialization is extremely challenging in sub-Saharan Africa. The “Plant extracts to prevent malaria in eastern Africa” project, or catnip project, developed and supported through the BioInnovate Africa platform, aims to develop and commercialise plant-based mosquito repellents using locally grown catnip.
This brief, based on a recent scientific publication (Ayoub et al., 2024), discusses thefollowing questions:
- What are the key components constituting a functional bio-based innovation systemfor developing malaria repellents in eastern Africa?
- To what extent can local bio-entrepreneurs benefit from business incubation,knowledge support and regional cooperation?
- What are the main barriers and challenges for upscaling and commercializing bio-based health R&D and innovation efforts in eastern Africa?