By Hannah Dadzie and Kimberly Nyarko Amoako
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has hosted a presidential dialogue with the leadership of the New Patriotic Party NPP, underscoring the critical role of innovation in advancing Ghana’s national development agenda.
The dialogue highlighted the importance of collaboration between government bodies and scientific institutions to achieve sustainable development. Speaking on behalf of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Chairman of the NPP Manifesto on Science and Technology, Dr Emmanuel Marfo who reaffirmed the NPP’s commitment to working closely with scientific institutions like CSIR, believes Ghana’s progress depends on science-driven policies. He said the party’s vision is to make science and technology a cornerstone of its national development strategy.
The dialogue is expected to be a cornerstone in advancing Ghana’s vision of becoming a leader in innovation and research-driven development in West Africa.The NDC had its turn last week reaffirming the party’s commitment to establishing a Science Fund to support research and direct resources, towards the nation’s benefit.
At the NPP’s engagement, experts from CSIR, presented various research findings and technological solutions, aimed at improving key sectors of the economy. Participants lauded the NPP’s focus on innovation but called for more investment in scientific research and development. President of the CSIR, Professor Paul Bosu emphasized, the need for strategic partnerships that leverage scientific research and technological innovations to boost Ghana’s economy.
“Scanning through the Manifesto I was looking at it with a lot of Science, Technology and Innovation I can confidently say that when you scan through it is full of that in one way or another. Chapter after chapter after Chapter, it is written that STI is there but we want to hear how it is going to be implemented and just to let me able to say exactly what it’s all about,” Professor Bosu noted.
“So, whiles I was getting excited I just got myself prompted that wait a minute, is it not the usual fine talk, fine language that that we hear during campaign season where everything looks like is going to be smooth, is going to be nice, is going to be well. So we want to examine what is written and we want to be assured that these things have not been written merely to entice us in CSIR to just vote number one,” He added.
The NPP promised to consider the insights and recommendations from the dialogue as part of its broader strategy for national development. Chairman, of the NPP Manifesto on Science and Technology, Dr Emmanuel Marfo, said, that although the importance of Science, Technology and Innovation has been recognized, past efforts in prioritizing it have not been possible due to lack of political will. Dr. Marfo assured, that, the NPP plans to tackle these shortcomings by promoting data-driven solutions and structural reforms to address challenges in Science and Technology.
“We are happy to be part of this conversation because we believe that our manifesto if implemented will be a manifesto that will resolve structure, confront science and technology challenges in this country. It will be the manifesto that will provide the opportunity for Ghana to realize the dreams that we are all praying for. we are talking about a party and a presidential candidate who has all his time as a Vice President proven that he believes in the power of data,” Dr Marfo indicated.
The meeting marked an important step in fostering a stronger relationship between policymakers and scientific researchers, with both parties agreeing, that, innovation and science-driven policies are essential for propelling Ghana’s economic growth and social transformation.
