Who is RAEIN-Africa?

The Regional Agricultural and Environment Initiatives Network–Africa (RAEIN-Africa) is a Southern African network organisation that promotes participatory development of appropriate science and technology and S&T policies for sustainable management of the environment and agricultural production systems. It does so by facilitating creation of partnerships between government, civil society, and end user groups, supporting need driven development oriented research and all inclusive policy development processes. RAEIN-Africa creates a conducive and enabling platform to allow nurturing of systems of innovation in the development of technologies and policies that endeavour to reduce poverty of the marginalized communities, taking cognizance of the fact that these communities’ livelihoods mostly depend on harnessing natural resources. In addition, the network does not only facilitate and equip communities to participate in policy development but also empowers decision making bodies by providing knowledge and empirical data for informed decision making processes. Furthermore, the network capacitates its partners to generate relevant information and knowledge on impacts of technological interventions on socio-economic, political and biological environments. Similarly, capacity is build in all development related issues.

RAEIN-Africa focuses its activities on identifying, developing and promoting innovative systems, creation of knowledge, applying it and influencing the policies that govern access to and safe use of these innovations in a participatory manner with specific focus on biological systems(on technologies that address issues of sustainable development) The Network is “locally-grown” and addresses particular national and regional needs. Through its work the network will contribute to alleviation of poverty and sustainable development, thus addressing:
(a) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1 (Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger), 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability), and 8 (Develop a global Partnership for development)
(b) The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) consolidated plan of action’s programme cluster 1 (Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Indigenous knowledge) and 2 (Energy Water and Desertification),
(c) The SADC Protocol on S&T and Innovation (AMCOST III, 2007 meeting),
d) The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Pillars 3 Increasing food supply, reduce hunger, and improve responses to food emergency crises; and 4. Improving agriculture research, technology dissemination and adoption

Why and how was RAEIN-Africa established?
RAEIN-Africa is a southern African regional not-for-profit organization, formed in June 2002 and registered in March 2005 with the purpose of enhancing capacity of stakeholders to undertake research, formulate policies; apply scientific and technological innovations that are people centered and gender sensitive through inclusive and participatory processes for sustainable development. Its formation came about as a result of a number of processes, which among others included consultations with Southern and East African countries that indicated a need for a holistic approach to policy and technology development in the areas of social and economic importance to the region for the benefit of marginalized communities.
In 2001, the Biotechnology Trust of Zimbabwe (BTZ) coordinated a regional consultative process involving 14 Eastern and Southern African countries namely Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The aim of this process was to identify needs, gaps and priorities in the areas of biotechnology and biosafety in each of the participating countries.

The multi-stakeholder and participatory approach was employed at each stage of the needs assessment process starting with the establishment of the status of development and implementation of policies, strategies and legislation on biotechnology and biosafety in the sub region. This was carried out with the view of identifying the priorities, needs and gaps in each country and coming up with a plan of action for the creation of a regional framework for networking. The first workshop was then held in Kadoma in Zimbabwe July 2001. (See Regional Cooperation on Biotechnology and Biosafety in Eastern and Southern African Countries – The Kadoma workshop Proceedings, July, 2001). The workshop format was participatory giving the status of biotechnology and biosafety in the various Countries as perceived by the three delegates that represented each of the participating Countries. Further consultations were then carried out in eight countries. The reports of these consultations formed the basis of discussions and planning at the second regional workshop, held in Kampala, Uganda in December 2001. (See Biotechnology and Biosafety in Central, Eastern and Southern African Countries – The Kampala, Uganda workshop proceedings, December, 2001). The national reports highlighted the biosafety needs and constraints in eight countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). Priority issues that were identified include:

The participants endorsed the need for a holistic approach to the development of capacity for Biotechnology research and Biosafety frameworks and the need for a for a in Southern Africa that can facilitate this process. Since the first consultative process was mainly on biosafety, it was felt necessary that another stakeholder consultative process be undertaken in order to identify the needs and priorities, with the view of identifying the role of biotechnology in addressing agricultural research constraints.

Further consultations were implemented to identify agricultural biotechnologies research needs for the disadvantaged communities of seven southern African countries. In These consultations culminated into a workshop on “Identification of Regional agricultural Research Needs and priorities: Experience-sharing and Agenda-setting” held in Harare June, 2002. (See report on “Agricultural Research Needs and Priorities in Selected Southern African Countries: A preliminary Report of in-country PRA studies conducted under BTZ/RAEIN-Africa Initiative”)

These biotechnology and biosafety needs identification activities led to a further call for a holistic approach in addressing biotechnology and biosafety issues, and the need for an organisation to coordinate and spearhead such activities at regional level. This led to the birth of the Regional Agricultural and Environmental Initiatives Network Africa (RAEIN-Africa) in 2002.
The needs assessment exercise also revealed that in the East African Region there were a number of Institutions facilitating collaborative research on technology and policy development such as Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Eastern African Regional Programme and Research Network for Biotechnology and Biosafety and Biotechnology Policy Development (BIOEARN), and African Biosafety and Biotechnology Stakeholder Forum (ABSF). However in SADC such initiatives are limited in terms of their operations. Hence there was a need to come with a network/initiation which covers the region inclusive of all SADC countries in order for the region not to lag behind in terms of appropriate innovative S&T and policy issues. During the consultations, stakeholders agreed that for a technology such as biotechnology, having biosafety systems in place would not be an end in itself, but would be the right step towards encouraging development of appropriate technologies and sustainable use and conservation of the environment, contributing to the alleviation of food insecurity in the region, hence the need for the formation of a broad Network. It was thus agreed that a Southern African Network be formed. The Honourable then Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Lupando Mwape officially launched RAEIN-Africa on the 13th of March 2005. RAEIN-Africa’s initiation programme worked on biosafety and environment issues. Although the Network was launched in 2005, it had been conceived post a “Needs identification and priority setting in biosafety and biotechnology programme, implemented by the Biotechnology Trust of Zimbabwe. Its initiation was endorsed by the June 2002 “Biotechnology for the resource poor farmers – An Experience Sharing and Agenda setting workshop” held in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The Regional Office of the Network is at the University of Namibia (UNAM) in Windhoek, Namibia. The Regional Secretariat is headed by a Regional Director, who assisted by a Technical Advisory Committee and staff members coordinates all activities of the network. The secretariat functions under the policy direction and guidance of a multi-stakeholder and multidisciplinary Regional Board of Trustees.