Senegal Academy discusses traditional knowledge and agricultural research

The National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal (ANSTS) held an academic session in Dakar to address the protection of African traditional knowledge and the restructuring of agricultural research. Experts discussed the application of intellectual property rights to ancestral knowledge in fields such as traditional medicine and agriculture, seeking legal mechanisms to prevent unauthorized external appropriation of collective, orally transmitted wisdom.

Participants also addressed the need to reform the organization of research teams to ensure food and nutritional sovereignty in Africa. Researchers highlighted a critical shortage of technicians and senior technicians, describing an “inverted pyramid” caused by recruitment freezes, an aging workforce, and a lack of career development plans. This erosion of technical staff is viewed as a threat to the efficiency and excellence of scientific experimentation in Senegal’s agricultural and agro-food sectors.