Minister advocates appointment of chief scientists to ministries

Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), has advocated the appointment of chief scientists to all ministries to advice ministers on scientific issues for rapid transformation of the economy.

He said countries such as Israel had chief scientists attached to every ministry to give scientific advice and conduct research into scientific issues to ensure that they were well understood for effective implementation.

Speaking at a Consultative Meeting on the Advisory, Management and Funding of the National Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) System in Ghana, Mr Ayariga said Ghana’s progress would be slow unless it applied science, technology and innovation to effect rapid transformation.

Mr Ayariga said science and technology had to be owned by the country to achieve that necessary change.

“We need to develop our technology so that we don’t continue to depend on other countries for their technology or spend so much money on acquiring it,” he said, adding that all ministries, departments and agencies need to give science and technology its due place in their daily activities to change the economy.

“We train scientists here in Ghana and they travel abroad and they always excel and we continue to ask ourselves why they are not able to perform in their own country,” he said, and stressed the need to embed science and technology in every aspect of the economy.

Mr Ayariga, however, expressed the hope that all was not lost yet and urged all to do their bit to ensure that the draft legislative scheme for the National STI and Innovation Bill went through the necessary stages for passage.

He said there was the need to build human and scientific resources to address scientific issues of the country and urged the public to buy into the concept to make it a reality.

The Minister, therefore, assured the public of government’s commitment towards science, technology and innovation and its efforts to make science and technology home-grown to make important changes in the economy.

Professor Francis Allotey, a renowned Mathematician and Nuclear Physicist, said science and technology was an important tool for development yet Ghana was yet to maximise those tools for development.

He mentioned China, Korea, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia who used science and technology to develop their respective countries, saying; “it is possible for Ghana also to use science and technology to enhance her development”.

Prof. Allotey said India took up the challenge those years to invest heavily in computer science and was now yielding the result of her investment and urged Ghana to also take that bold steps to catch up with the rest of the world.

He said to boost science and technology in Ghana, a percentage of the Heritage Fund needed to be allocated to funding science and technology research as well as leverage the youth alongside the experts to change the country on the path of science and technology.