The 2nd Eastern Africa Bioeconomy Conference under the theme ‘Building a sustainable and resilient African bioeconomy’ is one of the platforms for knowledge sharing and consensus building on issues concerning biologically based innovations that address the region’s development needs and contribute towards the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, the East African Community (EAC) Development Strategy 2050, and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063. The theme is cognisant of the global need to reduce carbon emissions, as well as build resilience against emerging and re-emerging diseases such as COVID-19, thus opening new possibilities for biologically based research and innovation.