Written by Thabo Mohlala and published on https://www.womeninscience.africa
Iraka Biotech, an innovation start-up based in the Vaal, was crowned the winner of Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP-SA) for 2020. The start-up was chosen out of eighteen prospective participants from across the country after a rigorous and intensive screenings process early last month.
Co-founded by Dr Cornelius Cano Ssemakalu, who is also a chief scientific officer, the Iraka Biotech start-up aims to reduce the transmission of zoonotic diseases (infectious diseases caused by a pathogen such as bacterium, virus, parasites etc. that has its origins from an animal to human).
The innovation will also help raise awareness and improve the health of communities that rely on livestock for livelihood. In addition, the vaccine technology got the nod for its “green and clean vaccine production platform that makes high quality veterinary vaccines affordable and reliably accessible”.
Dr Ssemakalu oversees the optimisation of the company’s platform technology for the different animal husbandry sectors and veterinary needs.
The GCIP-SA is global initiative aimed at promoting clean technology innovations and provides support to entrepreneurs to grow their SMMEs and start-ups into “viable, investment ready businesses”. In 208 the department of science and technology incorporated it into a Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) after four years as a donor-funded project.
To read the rest of the blog, click here.
