INTERVIEW PART TWO: Prof Ogwang on why scientists need to have the mind of entrepreneurs, commercialize their innovations

Prof. Patrick Engeu Ogwang has shown that Ugandan scientists can provide the medicinal solutions Ugandans need by adding value to the local herbs. The success of his invention, COVIDEX that helped the country curb the spread of COVID-19 is a testament to that.

In part two of this exclusive interview, Prof Ogwang explains to Charmar News editor Baz Waiswa why scientists in Uganda should be enterprising and have business plans for their scientific inventions.

I know President Museveni mentions financing science, however, is the government prioritizing funding and industrializing innovations in medicinal research? 

The government has put a lot of money into these areas but what is coming out is not what we expect. Something is not right in terms of money. You can crosscheck with the Ministry of Finance – how much has the government pumped into science and technology and research?

Makerere University gets like Shs30bn every year for research, go and ask them what technology and solutions have they produced to solve community problems. So where is the problem? It is not only corruption but also where we choose to put the money.

If you go to China, they have a system; every professor has a research team. I would be having my own research team. The government would say, Ogwang we are giving you this money, say one billion, we want you to produce the medicine to treat HIV but it is not the case.

You cannot make a vaccine for humans when you have not made a vaccine for chicken.

You have arguably come up with the greatest invention in recent times in Uganda – COVIDEX; how has this transformed your life at a personal level and the field of science?

The coming into existence of COVIDEX turned around things for me. I had been doing great things but few people knew me. When COVIDEX came, it changed my work and my company. Now people can trust my work. COVID-19 was a big problem. Everywhere I go, even outside Uganda, people appreciate my work.

COVIDEX brought optimism to Africa; that we can use what we have to solve problems. We have always been looking at the white man.

But you see, COVIDEX was not a one-day, one-month thing, it had been over 15 years of research. It is just that when COVID-19 came, we had something to try. I didn’t know about COVID-19. The coming of COVID-19 made me try out one of my formulas and it worked. Since it worked, it changed the story.

The point is that many innovations are in the labs; they may never see the light of day but sometimes something happens and it becomes a blessing. COVIDEX was one of the worst-performing formulas I had.

Initially, I had made it for wounds in the mouth caused by viruses. It was the least selling of my formulas. Even up to now, the old formula is the least selling but when we changed it to COVIDEX, it became the best product.

An innovation may not be relevant today but it can be in 30 years from now. The important thing is to keep innovating.

At a personal level, COVIDEX has given me honour. The President and other people honoured me. It has made me inspire many people. Many young people want to do pharmacy. Wherever I go, I know I am an inspiration. But it also has some negatives; it has taken away my freedom. In the past, I would move freely. Now I am restricted.

From your experience with Jena Herbals Limited, a company you founded to pursue commercial interests of your discoveries, how would a young researcher blend science and entrepreneurship?

Your goal should be to create solutions. There are people who need these solutions. The only way they can get these solutions is when you commercialize them. When you commercialize them, you get more money to create more solutions.

As scientists, we need to have a mind of an entrepreneur. Most scientists do research for show-off and bragging rights but they are not solving community problems.

I love the fact that I am in class and also in the industry. I bring the knowledge from class to the industry. At Jena Herbals Limited, we have a fully-fledged workforce. In Luzira, we employ over 70 people.

We have people in the supply chain, giving us raw materials – the people who grow these plants. It is a chain – from the farmer to the industry, to the market. We are going to export to Cameroon soon.

How does mindset change enable reinvention in business to apply in the medical and science world?

You know mindset change is important but must be handled carefully. When we are in the medical school, we are trained to offer a service. But we are also bringing in business, and this is where we have to be careful or else we become exploiters.

As a pacesetter, what do you think CEOs, business leaders, entrepreneurs and the general public should look out for at the 4th Business Trendsetters Forum happening on 31st of August 2023 at Sheraton Hotel where you are going to be a speaker?

People should expect me to challenge them differently; to think from outside the box. We tend in this country to copy and reproduce what we have copied. Let us think of what is not being done and we go into it.

We must be business oriented but we must also hold the principles of the medical practice. The health of the patient is paramount and takes precedence over money. In medicine, we need more entrepreneurs, businesses and people who are ethical.

NOTE: catch Prof. Ogwang, the maker of the famous COVIDEX and several other health products at the finale of the 4th Business Trendsetters Forum happening on 31^st August 2023 at Sheraton Hotel Kampala where he will be one of the speakers under the theme MINDSET CHANGE ENABLING REINVENTION INN BUSINESS.

READ PART ONE OF THIS INTERVIEW HERE