Ghana's Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Zaneto Agyeman-Rawlings, has emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the government, and the private sector to translate research into commercially viable products for national development. During a working visit to the CSIR in Accra, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between scientific research and the public to enable Ghanaians and the private sector to understand, access, and benefit from innovations developed by Ghanaian scientists and researchers.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings made the call as part of her familiarisation tour of agencies and institutions under the Ministry. The tour aims to enable her to better understand the environment, people, and work of the agencies through direct and interactive engagements. She noted that the CSIR had immense potential to contribute to Ghana's development, with expertise and research covering a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, natural resources, environment, industry, energy, food and nutrition, and biotechnology.
The Minister expressed concern that Ghana sometimes seeks technologies from outside the country when similar solutions already exist within CSIR. She urged the CSIR to work closely with the Ministry's Public Relations Directorate to showcase its research, innovations, and products at the Ministry and through its communication platforms. This, she believes, will make science more relatable, particularly to young people, and encourage them to consider science as a broad career field with practical applications.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings also called for increased attention to research and development, saying Ghana needs to work towards the African Union's target of spending one percent of Gross Domestic Product on research and development. She acknowledged that funding constraints remain a challenge, but scientists and researchers also need to make a stronger case for investment by demonstrating the practical and economic value of their work.
The Minister expressed interest in research and pilot projects that could support the remediation of degraded lands, purification of polluted water bodies, and protection of the environment. She encouraged the various CSIR institutes to review their research archives and identify innovations that could be showcased and developed into scalable and economically viable projects to safeguard the environment for future generations.
Professor Paul P. Bosu, Director-General of CSIR, said the Minister's visit was particularly significant at a time when Ghana is looking with renewed urgency to science, technology, and innovation as instruments for addressing national challenges and accelerating socio-economic development. He pledged CSIR's readiness to become an even stronger partner to the government by providing scientific evidence for policymaking, developing technologies to address national needs, supporting industry and entrepreneurship, and promoting commercialization.
The CSIR has built a rich reservoir of scientific expertise over seven decades and has 13 specialized institutes located in Accra, Kumasi, Bunsu, Kade, and Nyankpala, among other areas, supported by about 60 field stations. The institution faces challenges, including the retention of scientific talent, inadequate research logistics and infrastructure, environmental degradation, and the need to move research outputs into commercial ventures.
Key points
- Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings calls for collaboration to commercialize CSIR research
- Ghana aims to increase investment in research and development
- CSIR has immense potential to contribute to Ghana's development
