Young entrepreneurs in Nigeria farming scorpions for medical research

Africa’s role in the global health economy is expanding, and not just through laboratories and technology. In Nigeria, young entrepreneurs are farming scorpions to supply venom for medical research. It’s a risky business with potentially big rewards, and it’s fuelling fresh debate about safety, regulation and ownership.

Sunday Akanji sells live scorpions, but says the real value lies in venom extraction.

The size of the scorpions, the requirement is seven inches. We don’t extract the venom; we only sell out the scorpions for now. We are hoping for government’s assistance, instead of selling the scorpion. If we can get the right equipment, we can extract the venom from here by ourselves.

Health experts say venom extraction requires advanced equipment and strict regulation, but the medical potential

Brain cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, research has shown that some of the peptides that have been extracted from scorpion venom is used to treat them.

Across Africa, including South Africa, researchers are increasingly exploring nature-based