"FOCUS ON OUR AFRICAN SCHOLARS LIVING ABROAD": "GUY FIRMIN DE LAGO", A PROMINENT IVORIAN SCIENTIST LIVING IN USA

/("My area of expertise is to help animal and poultry producing farmers to raise their cattle as sustainable as possible")!

"GUY FIRMIN DE LAGO" is indeed a peculiar and humble ivorian scientist living abroad, prescisely in "Milwaukee"(USA) since 1995. He has been on research on biochemistry, namely in the area of poultry producing farmers so as to be a worthy asset to this worthy field in the third world, and particularly in AFRICA, in the years to come. He recently seized the great opportunity to give way to his greatest ambition in his homeland (AFRICA)(exclusive talks closely with "Guy Firmin De LAGO").

"IVOIREBUSINESS": What do you think will be the next millenium scientific challenge?

"GUY FIRMIN DE LAGO":I have no doubt that there will be plenty battles for scientists to overcome.
However, a major one that will need special attention will be food availability. Look, the world population is at (7 billion) and the United nation
project is at (9 billions) by (2050)!There is around (2 billion) of the actual population that is malnourished.
Additionally, arable lands are vanishing at an unseeing pace due to deforestation and urbanization. Not also to ignore global warming with an unpredictable climate change.
As we can see, ingredients for a food crisis are being seeded. The pressure will be on scientists to quickly change the trend of his upcoming food availability catastrophe by not only being able to sustainably increase crop production on reduced land, but also the (1.3) billion ton of food that goes to waste yearly.

"IVOIREBUSINESS": What will be the role of scientists in AFRICA nowadays, regarding the upcoming food availability crisis?

"GUY FIRMIN DE LAGO": It's important to mention that most of the next (2 billion) population increases will happen in developing countries.
Therefore, involvment of african scientists is more than necessary. The scope of the matter has been understood and appropriate actions are taken over the black continent. Some achievements have been made with very limited funds. Referring to the new Rice of AFRICA(NERICA) project, that produces a high yield rice variety.
A research success that stemmed from collaboration between scientist in AFRICA and overseas. I think, it will be important to encourage and increase that type of research collaboration with developed countries to keep the hype.

"IVOIREBUSINESS": Any suggestions about improving scientific reseach in the whole Africa?

"GUY FIRMIN DE LAGO": The future of research in Africa relies mostly on the ability of scientists to educate the private sectors, government and the public on the benefit of those researches. Governments have other priorities like poverty, building roads, fixing troubled economy. In addition to that crucial reality, one has to come to the reality that banks barely lend and the private sectors does not make enough profit
to spare some for research bottom line. As a result, there is limited funds available for research. One way of dealing with such mosaic of hurdles is to encourage within the continent collaboration and leverage on today's high-tech communication network, to increase global collaboration as well. Those collaborations expose to new technonologies that we know are harbingers of nowadays research success.

"IVOIREBUSINESS": As a scientist, have you been involved in finding any right solutions for the food crisis?

"GUY FIRMIN DE LAGO": My area of expertise is to help animal and poultry producing farmers to raise their cattle as sustainable as possible.
That can be accomplishhed by using fewer antibiotics and more direct fed microbial. Such approach, of course lowers the risk of antibiotics resistant bacteria appearance and transfer.

(INTERVIEW ACHIEVED BY YVES T BOUAZO)