The Challenges of Bioeconomy and Strategies to Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Bioeconomy has been proposed as a strategy to overcome many global and national challenges, from climate action to income diversification.. Therefore, the ultimate goal is not to measure the bioeconomy per se, but its sustainability. The world faces multiple challenges: climate change, food security, loss of biodiversity, and rural poverty. Several new technological strategies have been introduced to address climate change. Nigeria faces several sustainable development challenges. One major challenge is the need for effective policy implementation, which is hindered by issues such as corruption, bad leadership, political instability, slow public service structures, and ethnicity. Important element of a comprehensive adaptation framework is the development of the bioeconomy. This paper focuses on challenges of bioeconomy and strategy for a sustainable development in Nigeria. It highlights and identifies the current state of bioeconomy and how bioeconomy opportunities might develop and be supported towards achieving sustainable development in Nigeria. At the initial stage, bioeconomy was associated with the dynamic development and achievements in the fields of biology and biotechnology before being linked with environment, ecological development, and sustainability.  Bioeconomy has gained significant attention in recent years, with countries adopting it to drive their developmental efforts. However, the concept has not been adequately examined and integrated into policy making in Nigeria. This paper provides an overview of bioeconomy in terms of motivation, policy framework, and application as a concept for achieving sustainable development.