SIYOLISE FIKIZOLO and APHIWE XANTI
The recent Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Trade Indaba, held at the East London International Convention Centre (ICC), laid out a practical roadmap to transform traditional, knowledge-based innovations into viable, inclusive commercial enterprises.
Co-hosted by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), the University of Fort Hare, and the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ), the indaba, which kicked-off on Monday, brought together community leaders, researchers, and industry experts to bridge the gap between ancient tradition and modern commercial markets.
Ditching standard corporate presentations, organisers structured the indaba around raw, actionable conversations aimed directly at local economic development.
“Our indaba is not another academic conference,” said Vuyisile Hobololo, head of the IKS business unit at TIA.
“We have curated it particularly to ensure that people do not just come and talk and listen to papers.
“We want conversation.”
Opening under the theme “From Heritage to Enterprise: Commercialising Indigenous Knowledge-Based Innovation for Inclusive Development,” ELIDZ CEO Tembela Zweni delivered a strong call for local self-reliance.
“Instead of exporting our natural resources and importing indigenous products, we must build our capability to develop, produce, and commercialise those products here in the Eastern Cape and South Africa,” Zweni said.
A central objective of the event was formulating strategies to move traditional remedies and products out of the informal sector and onto the shelves of mainstream retail stores, clinics, and pharmacies.
Hobololo explained that modern scientific methods were being used to validate traditional knowledge, giving it proper footing in the formal marketplace.
However, industry expert Sibusiso Manana cautioned that regulatory compliance remained a formidable hurdle.
While the Indigenous Knowledge Act of 2019 safeguards local heritage against exploitation, standards set by bodies such as the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority were originally designed for conventional pharmaceuticals, often making them ill-suited for traditional medicine systems.
Addressing SA’s high disease burden — including HIV, diabetes, and TB — panelists emphasised that scientific validation should promote partnership between systems rather than dominance.
“Why do we want to turn traditional medicine into Western medicine?” asked Prof Lerato Seleteng Kose.
“We have Western medicine and traditional medicine — the two are complementing one another.
“They should not be seen as two different components altogether, as they share the same goal of healing.”
To bypass operational bottlenecks and scaling failures, delegates highlighted regional collaborative networks connecting academia, government, and industry.
Infrastructure hubs such as the ELIDZ offer ready-to-use land, environmental clearances, and utilities essential for commercial manufacturing. To kickstart the commercial pipeline, TIA currently offers accessible funding of up to R1m for proof-of-concept development and market testing.
This initiative is already bearing fruit in the Eastern Cape, it was highlighted, with TIA-backed indigenous cosmetics manufacturers scaling production to supply major luxury hotel groups.
