Nigeria needs technologies that help address food insecurity, climate change, agric challenges — Dr. Akaehie

Dr. Jephter Akaehie, founder, Afroganiks Industries Limited and President, Young African Business School of Manufacturing, speaks with NURUDEEN ALIMI, on why it is important for Nigeria to explore technologies to address, agricultural challenges, biodiversity and Africa’s manufacturing future. Excerpts:

You recently made a statement that: “when you disconnect a living organism from its natural environment or source of life, you gradually weaken it.” What exactly do you mean by that?

I am using nature to provoke a deeper conversation about humanity. A fish removed from water eventually dies. A tree separated from its roots eventually withers. The principle is simple: living systems depend on the environments that sustain them. My concern is that human beings are increasingly disconnecting themselves from biological diversity—from diverse foods, indigenous crops, medicinal plants and traditional knowledge that have sustained communities for generations.

I am not suggesting that humans should reject modern civilisation or science. Quite the opposite. I believe we need more science, but science that helps us understand nature rather than disconnect ourselves completely from it.

Are you saying GMO foods are dangerous?

I would be irresponsible to make such a blanket statement. My position is more nuanced. The World Health Organisation does not say that all genetically modified foods are inherently dangerous. GM foods are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and currently approved GM foods have not been demonstrated to cause human-health effects in the populations consuming them.

So, my concern is not simply, GMO is bad, My bigger concern is biological diversity and resilience. When agricultural systems become increasingly dependent on uniform varieties, we need to ask what happens to indigenous varieties and genetic diversity.

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The Food and Agriculture Organisation has previously estimated that about 75 percent of crop genetic diversity was lost during the 20th century.

That is a serious issue, because diversity is not just about having different-looking crops. Diversity is insurance.

One variety may tolerate drought. Another may resist disease. Another may survive poor soil. Another may possess nutritional or genetic characteristics that could become extremely valuable in the future.

When we lose biological diversity, we may be losing options for future generations.

But, isn’t agricultural uniformity sometimes necessary to feed a growing population?

Absolutely. Productivity matters. Farmers need crops that can produce sufficient yields. We need technologies that help us address food insecurity, climate change and agricultural challenges. The answer is not to reject technology. The answer is to combine productivity with biodiversity and resilience.

We should be asking: How do we improve yields without destroying indigenous genetic resources, How do we use biotechnology responsibly while preserving local varieties, How do we modernise agriculture without making farmers completely dependent on a narrow range of biological resources, Those are much more intelligent questions than simply arguing whether GMO is good or bad.

You are also a strong advocate for herbal medicine. Are you suggesting that Africans should abandon conventional medicine and return to herbs?

Absolutely not. I have never advocated abandoning hospitals or modern medicine. Not every herb is medicine. Not every traditional claim is scientifically validated. Some herbal preparations can interact with medicines or be unsafe when improperly prepared or dosed.

What I am saying is that we should not confuse lack of research with lack of potential. Africa possesses enormous botanical knowledge. Our responsibility is to subject that knowledge to scientific investigation. We need to identify active compounds, establish appropriate dosage, investigate safety, conduct clinical studies where appropriate, standardise formulations and establish proper quality-control systems.

That is where the future lies, not herbs versus hospitals, not tradition versus science. But traditional knowledge meeting modern scientific validation.

Why is this issue particularly important to you personally?

Because I am a manufacturer. My work has taken me beyond simply asking what products can be sold in the market. I have become increasingly interested in the question:

What can Africa manufacture from what Africa already possesses?

Through Afroganiks Industries, we work at the intersection of nature, science and manufacturing, particularly around herbal and wellness products. But, I don’t want Afroganiks to be viewed simply as another company putting herbs into capsules or bottles, The bigger vision is to demonstrate what is possible when African natural resources are approached with modern manufacturing, quality systems, research and commercial discipline. That is what excites me.

What exactly should African manufacturers be doing differently?

We must move from raw-material thinking to value-chain thinking. For too long, Africa has exported raw materials and imported finished products. We export agricultural commodities, we export minerals, we export biological resources.

Then, we import products made from those same resources at significantly higher value.That model cannot create the Africa we desire. We need to ask: Why can’t African universities research our plants? why can’t African laboratories identify their active compounds? why can’t African farmers cultivate them sustainably? why can’t African manufacturers process them? why can’t African companies develop intellectual property around them? why can’t African brands export the finished products globally, That is how you build an industrial economy.

So, in your view, Africa’s biodiversity could actually become an industrial asset?

Absolutely, I believe Africa’s biodiversity is one of the continent’s underappreciated economic assets, But biodiversity must be protected first, you cannot destroy the resource and then talk about industrialisation, We need sustainable cultivation, conservation, documentation and responsible commercialisation.

Imagine an ecosystem where farmers cultivate medicinal plants commercially, universities conduct research, laboratories validate compounds, manufacturers develop standardised products and African companies export them globally. That is not simply herbal medicine, that is an industrial value chain, And it can create jobs, intellectual property, export revenue and opportunities for young Africans.

You have repeatedly spoken about manufacturing as a pathway to African prosperity. Why are you so passionate about manufacturing?

Because Africa cannot consume its way into prosperity, we must produce. Manufacturing forces us to solve problems, it creates technical skills, it creates supply chains, it creates employment, it creates intellectual property, it creates markets for farmers and raw-material suppliers, it creates opportunities for engineers, scientists, technicians, marketers and entrepreneurs.

And most importantly, manufacturing allows us to capture more value from the resources we already have.

That is why I believe the future of Africa is not merely in having resources.

The future is in what we can transform those resources into.

What does this mean for Afroganiks specifically?

Our ambition is to contribute to a new generation of African manufacturing where nature and science work together.

We want to continue developing herbal and wellness products through proper manufacturing processes, quality control and scientific thinking.

But beyond our own products, I want Afroganiks to demonstrate that African companies can build serious manufacturing capabilities around natural resources.

We need to move away from the perception that herbal manufacturing is informal, primitive or incapable of meeting international standards.

It can be modern, it can be scientific, it can be highly regulated, it can be technologically advanced. And it can become a major African industry.

What is your biggest concern about Africa’s current approach to natural medicine?

We have knowledge, but too little structured documentation, we have resources, but too little scientific investigation, we have farmers, but inadequate value chains.

We have traditional practitioners, but insufficient integration with research institutions.

We have manufacturers, but many struggle to access the technology and capital required to scale.

And perhaps most importantly, we sometimes undervalue what we already have.

Someone in Africa discovers that a particular plant has traditionally been used for generations, and our first instinct can be to dismiss it as primitive.

Then someone elsewhere researches it, standardises it, patents a process around it and brings a finished product back to Africa. That cycle must end.

What role should government play?

Government has a major role. We need policies that encourage research into indigenous crops and medicinal plants.

We need stronger collaboration between universities, research institutes, farmers, traditional knowledge holders and manufacturers.

We need appropriate regulation that protects consumers without unnecessarily suffocating legitimate innovation.

We need incentives for local manufacturing, we need intellectual-property frameworks that protect indigenous knowledge and ensure communities are not exploited.

And we need serious investment in laboratories, biotechnology, agricultural research and advanced manufacturing.

Government cannot do everything, but government can create the environment in which African entrepreneurs and researchers can do extraordinary things.

What would you say to young Africans who want to enter into this sector?

Don’t just look for something to sell, look for something Africa needs to manufacture, study science, study manufacturing, understand regulations, understand markets, learn technology, learn quality management.

And most importantly, learn how to convert African problems into African businesses.

The young African entrepreneur of the future should not simply ask, What can I import and sell? We should increasingly be asking: “What can I research, develop, manufacture and export?” That shift in mindset can change the continent.

On a final note, if you had to summarise your philosophy in one statement, what would it be?

Let me say this; Africa must not merely be the place where nature is found. Africa must become the place where nature, science and manufacturing meet. Nature has given us extraordinary resources. Science gives us the tools to understand them. Manufacturing gives us the ability to transform them into value. Our responsibility is to connect all three. That is the Africa I believe is possible.

And that is the kind of manufacturing future I am committed to building through my work at Afroganiks and through my broader advocacy for African manufacturing.

We do not need to go backward to embrace nature. We need to move forward with a deeper understanding of it.