Research findings receive attention from Government

Accra, Oct. 12, GNA - Government must immediately find three billion cedis to manufacture machines and the production of three agro-based products identified from research findings for commercialization.

Mr Robert Nketia, Chairman of an 11-member Taskforce set up by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to investigate actualizing research findings in Ghana, said the people they interacted with during their work, especially those in the agro-based rural community, would only believe Government's promises if the recommendations in their report were set into motion before the end of the year. The amount is required for the recommended activities to take off by October 15 2006.

Presenting the Report to the Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, in Accra on Thursday, Mr Nketia said potential industrialists and producers of the identified products could not wait for the required capital to be sourced from the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF).

Mr Baah-Wiredu had suggested that funds be sourced from the VCTF and the micro-finance programme in addition to unused dividends. Mr Nketia said it was necessary for the Government to source funds from elsewhere as soon as possible in order to set the project rolling. The Ministry set up the Taskforce to look into ways of commercializing research findings and link them up with industries.

The Taskforce, which comprised members from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Chamber of Commerce and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), investigated the production of Pozzolana, Glucose Syrup and Activated Carbon.

Pozzolana is used to produce cement, activated carbon is used for the processing of precious mineral and in food processing to remove odour while glucose syrup is used in the confectionary and the pharmaceutical industries.

Apart from identifying the source of the raw materials for the industries, the Taskforce also identified and recommended ways of locally manufacturing the machines to produce the three products.

This is expected to reduce the cost of importing raw materials and machines, add value to farm produce and generate employment. Industrial undertakings from investigated research findings would also reduce the tax of participants because they would be dealing with agro-processing. Mr Baah-Wiredu told the Taskforce that he would personally get involved in sourcing funds immediately to implement the recommendations.

He said the Government was committed to the use of research findings and had, therefore, included that in the 2005 and 2006 Budgets. He said the implementation of the projects recommended in the Report would generate employment especially for the youth and cited dressmaking and retailers of second hand clothing as an area that could be targeted.

He said if dressmakers were granted loans and assisted to make quality clothing at cheaper costs, they could be linked up with the second hand clothing retailers to sell the products.

The Finance Minister said so far one district was ready to begin the three industrial projects recommended by the Ministry of Trade and Industry for implementation in all the districts. Such district projects, Mr Baah-Wiredu said, could be linked to similar research findings.

He said he was optimistic that something good could come out of Ghana's numerous research findings citing Burkina Faso as one of the few African countries that had managed to reduce the maturity years of shea nut trees from 20 to three years.

An executive summary of the Report for the effective utilization of research findings by industry said the Taskforce considered proposals by the NCTE to institutionalize research findings as appropriate and endorsed them with modifications.

The Report outlined steps and institutional structures to be put in place, the roles of relevant stakeholders, funding mechanisms and key activities to be undertaken from 2006 to 2008. The Budget for 2006 is pegged at 2.4 billion cedis, 2007 is 8.7 billion cedis and 2008 is 2.7 billion cedis towards the implementation of the programme.

Among other recommendations, the Report called for the setting up of a comprehensive data on research findings by institutions and the establishment of a technology transfer centre at the Association of Ghana Industries or the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports to serve as a secretariat and pool for collating, analyzing, facilitating and coordinating activities of commercialising research findings and public sensitization programmes.

The Report also recommended the setting up of a technology transfer board, a technology incubator park, a technology transfer desk in all institutions such as the CSIR, Universities and Polytechnics. It called on the AGI to play the role of a facilitator in accessing research needs and made recommendations on designing business plans for research findings, funding for research institutions, funding for commercialization, giving incentives to industries for use of research findings.

It urged the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning to champion the establishment of the technology transfer centre to aid the immediate take off of the programme.

Members of the Taskforce were Mr Robert Woode from the AGI; Professor Anamoah Mensah, Vice Chancellor of University of Education, Winneba; representing Vice Chancellors in Ghana; Mr Mike Ayesu, Ms Eva Mends and Mr Oscar Bogne, all from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

The rest of the members were Mr Paul Dzandu from the NCTE; Mr Prosper Adablah and Mr Godfred Funkor from the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Mrs Josephine Okutu and Prof. Kwesi Ayensu, both from the CSIR.