By Edward Dankwah
Accra, Nov. 4, GNA – Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, the Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana (UG), has called on the government to invest more into research to make an impact.
He said the European Union had proposed that at least one per cent of Gross Domestic Product, should be put into research, and because Ghana did not have a National Research Fund, there was the need for the government to invest more into the area for maximum impact.
“Linking basic, to applied research and to application, is very crucial in a world of technology, where all the technologies did not just come about from the blue, but started from research to application, so we have to be part of their development to fit into our own situation,” he added.
Professor Onwona-Agyeman made the call at the Maiden Engineering Conference held under the auspices of the School of Engineering Sciences of the UG with support from Reroy Cables.
The maiden conference, which formed part of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the School of Engineering Sciences, was on the theme: “Sustainable Innovation Technologies for Development.”
Prof. Onwona-Agyeman called for collaboration between industry and academia to produce top-class research in the area of Engineering and Sciences to solve a myriad of problems in the country.
He also urged the government to make good use of research works produced by Scientists and Engineers for the betterment of the nation.
Prof. Robin Clark, the Dean of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, said the best technologies in the United Kingdom (UK) were due to sound policy framework backed by research, with government incentivising these researchers, to produce best outcomes.
“Looking at what we are trying to achieve in the UK, we make sure that the conversations we are having are between the Universities, Policymakers and Industries, such that they are connected in the right ways,” he added.
Prof. Clark said Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should also be part of the conversation, stating that they formed the largest part of the economy, hence the need to factor them in the policy framework.
Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, the Dean, School of Engineering Sciences, UG, said the idea of having an Engineering Conference was raised about 10 years ago to showcase works done by the students, which would in the long run confront some of the challenges in Ghana.
She said the idea was also to have an annual conference, which would bring on board engineering stakeholders, academic institutions, industry, and even government officials to testify to what had been achieved in the year to help move the country forward.
Coming up with new ideas, new products, and new knowledge to solve problems was expensive, to address contemporary problems globally which were much broader, therefore need for the government to show some commitment in that direction to help in making research relevant to solving societal challenges, Professor Kaufmann added.
GNA