In 2009, the country adopted its “National Biofuel Policy and Strategy”. A bioeconomy strategy does not exist.
By developing bioenergy, the country should depend less on fossil raw materials and energy security should be enhanced. In addition, it is hoped that industry growth will lead to rising incomes and less poverty. The strategy was designed by the Ministry of Energy.
The main objective of the roadmap on “Ocean Economy” is not related to bioeconomy. The strategic focus is on the marine's potential for fisheries, aquaculture, cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry.
The country has three strategies for energy production but no specific bioeconomy or biotechnology strategy. The three energy policy strategies include a national energy policy strategy, a renewable energy strategy and a biofuels strategy. In order to better implement the biofuels strategy, a "National Agency for Bioenergy Development" was set up in 2009. A particular challenge facing the country is the struggle against progressive desertification. The responsible management of Mali’s natural resources is also particularly important.
In Kenya, bioeconomy development is strongly related to biotechnology policy. With the “National Biotechnology Development Policy” (2006) the government formulated its vision to transform Kenya into a knowledge-based economy by fostering research, development and the commercialization of modern biotechnological products. A special bioeconomy strategy does not exist. The Biotechnology Strategy was prepared by the Council for Science and Technology, a Kenyan government advisory body.
The predators of crop plants, such as the corn borer, are a nuisance for farmers. Where the larvae are at work, hardly a leaf remains. Usually, only pesticides help to control the pest. In the EU project OLEFINE, a European research association, which includes the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in Stuttgart, hopes to find a sustainable alternative to solve the problem.
Tree sap contains important ingredients for food or pharmaceutical industry. Besides minerals and nutrients, it is the microorganisms, especially yeasts, that make the sugar-rich sap interesting for biotechnologists. These yeasts produce important enzymes such as lipases, which digest fat, or plant substances such as the carotenoid astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is extracted from the tree yeast Phaffia rhodozyma, for example, and used as an additive in fish feed, which later gives the salmon its distinctive color.
In agriculture, phosphorus as a fertilizer contributes to higher yields. In aquacultures, the element also has this function as a fertilizer or feed additive. While phosphorus fertilization in agriculture is strictly regulated, there are no such regulations for aquacultures.
Conventional combustion engines will continue to play a role in transportation for some time to come. However, in order to achieve the climate protection goals, the fuels for these engines must not come from fossil sources. At the same time, biofuels should not compete with food and animal feed cultivation. One possibility is biofuels made from residual or waste materials. To this end, researchers at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) have now developed a production process that uses the fat from a deep fryer and hydrogen.