Accra, Oct. 28, GNA – Dr Kwaku Afriyie, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) says the Government is poised to mainstream Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in all productive sectors of the economy to spur growth.
He explained that the inclusion of STI in sectors such as agriculture, education, health and energy would ignite creative solutions to everyday challenges, as well as create jobs.
Dr Afriyie said this at the opening of a high level forum on the Implementation of Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development Goals (STI4SDGs ) in Accra.
It is an initiative within UNESCO’s global framework for monitoring, policy support, and advocacy for the “UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers (2017 RS|SR)”.
The two-day forum was organised jointly by MESTI, ECOWAS Commission, and Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI), as part of the implementation of UNESCO’s strengthening STI Systems for Sustainable Development Project (SIDA Project).
The project seeks to strengthen STI Systems for Sustainable Development in six selected countries, including Ghana, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Dr Afriyie stated that the Government and science institutions were undertaking infrastructural and regulatory steps in accordance with the SDG 2013 and AU Agenda 2063 – “The Africa We Want”, towards that end.
He said the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, which articulated the application of Science, Technology and Innovation was currently under review.
Dr Afriyie stated that, government working with stakeholders had stepped up efforts to enhance technology entrepreneurship and incubation initiatives, including the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, Start-up Bill, and Incubation Innovation Hubs.
The Minister said Ghana was one of the foremost countries to publish its STI4SDGs Roadmap, which included the development of STI system in the context of the 2017 UNESCO RS|SR and had developed five policy briefs.
Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said the realisation of sustainability in development required new knowledge, which was offered by Science and Technology, hence the need
to strengthen STI Systems for sustainable development in Africa.
He said Ghana was ever ready to harness the benefits of STI for national development and stimulate discussions towards promoting partnerships for strengthening STIs among ECOWAS member states.
Madam Gabriella Ramos, Assistant Director-General of Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO, said a wide-based approach was necessary if Ghana was to realise the benefits of SDGs.
She said UNESCO was supporting six African countries, including Ghana, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone to design STI policy and systems to enable the harnessing of STI potential to build prosperous economies.
GNA