The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and innovation, Hon. Dr Kwaku Afriyie, has said that the Government of Ghana is allocating one percent of the Country’s GDP to Research and Development to facilitate development.
Hon. Dr Kwaku Afriyie said this would serve as a major source of funding to enable researchers in the country’s academia and research institutions to unlock innovations and initiatives that can quicken the pace of the country’s scientific and technological advancement.
The Minister made this known in an exclusive interview with Nana Fokuo Dwemoh on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 .
Hon Dr. Afriyie revealed that he had met with the President who has given him the full mandate to take the privatization of Research and Development seriously because “the President personally has a huge interest in that sector.”
According to the Minister, there are a lot of research institutions such as Soil Research Institute, Crop Research Institute, Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI), Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) – all in Kumasi; and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Savannah Agricultural Institute , Cocoa Research Institute etc which are all doing well in terms of research development in the Country.
The Sefwi Wiawso MP indicated that his Ministry as an enabler of all ministries was behind the production of seedlings for the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme through research.
Hon. Dr Kwaku Afriyie was happy to announce that the Crop Research Institute at Fumesua near Kumasi under the leadership of Professor B. Mochia has signed a memorandum of understanding with COCOBOD to produce plantain seedlings for cocoa farmers to augment the shortage of plantain seedlings through their research programme called “Plant Tissue culture”.
Story by: Fokuo George Dwomoh
