Fighting Malaria Sustainably: An Investigation of the Innovation System for Biobased Malaria Repellents in East Africa

This paper investigates a biobased innovation system producing a catnip plant-based mosquito repellent developed to fight malaria in East Africa. We adopt a technological innovation system (TIS) methodology. Previous studies on TIS in the global south emphasized innovation diffusion, rather than development. In contrast, we study the catnip-based mosquito repellents in East Africa, a R&D and innovation driven TIS. Our results highlight the potential of innovation development in East Africa by demonstrating strong TIS functions such as entrepreneurial activity, knowledge sharing, and legitimacy building. However, the TIS functions, market creation, resource mobilisation and policy guidance were relatively weak. This suggests that the innovation challenges in East Africa are not always related to a lack of knowledge generation or entrepreneurial capabilities, but more due to a structural feature such as lack of finance, resources, and supportive policies. Our study also demonstrates how local bio-entrepreneurs benefit from business incubation through regional cooperation.