‘Place emphasis on science, technology, research’
The Head of Department of the Earth and Environmental Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Navrongo campus, Dr Emmanuel Arhin, has underscored the need for the government to place emphasis on science, technology and research.
Advertisement
He has, therefore, called for a closer collaboration among the universities, government and industry players to effectively implement various research findings by academic institutions as a positive step to accelerate the country's development on a sustainable basis through research.
Dr Arhin stated this in an interview with newsmen at the opening of the third in a series of the 2016 Annual Interdisciplinary Conference (AIC) of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Consultancy Services (IIRaCS) of the UDS, at Navrongo last Thursday.
It was on the theme "Science and Technology for sustainable development".
Dr Arhin stressed that research was a prerequisite for development, adding that, "if we can come together as a team to integrate our research findings we would be able to develop a comprehensive policy that would be tailored towards addressing the needs of our country".
Policy
Earlier in a speech read on his behalf, the Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Professor Gabriel A.Teye, explained that the "overriding purpose of any activity we undertake in the university is ultimately to contribute to societal growth and national development which invariably ensures our own growth as faculty members and citizens".
According to him, the AIC provides the academia the opportunity to share research ideas with a view to ensuring that they achieve the purpose for which they were initiated, stressing that "without research, we cannot be seen as the authority required by government to offer advice on national issues or on policy formulation"
IIRaCS
The Director of the IIRaCS, Dr Edward S. Mahama, stated that the institute was established in 1992 as the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research.
He said through restructuring, it was upgraded to the IIRaCS in 2015, and indicated that the institute was responsible for coordinating university-wide research, as well as coordinating all consultancy services in the university.
Dr Mahama explained that the IIRaCS's research was driven by the philosophy of the UDS which emphasises on community-based problem solving and learning approach to development.
To achieve its mandate, he said, the IIRaCS adopted the interdisciplinary and problem-solving approach to research and capacity building in an effort to improve on the quality of lives of deprived rural communities.
Furthermore, he said, it existed to promote research and consultancy services in collaboration with other faculties, departments of the UDS, as well as non-governmental organisations for the socio-economic advancement of northern Ghana in particular, and Ghana as a whole.
Commendation
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Dr Robert Kuganab-Lem, commended the UDS for taking giant steps towards improving the socio-economic lives of people living in its operational areas.
He also lauded the UDS for creating such a platform to generate ideas and deliberate on pertinent issues affecting the north and the country as a whole, and assured the university of the government's preparedness to put the research findings to good use for the accelerated development of the region.
He, however, expressed worry about the inability of some district assemblies to develop a district development plan which could feed into the National Development Plan thereby avoiding haphazard development in the various districts.
Sustainable development
This year’s conference was among other things organised to enable stakeholders to deliberate on how Ghana and other developing countries could pursue sustainable development through the use of science and technology.
It, therefore, provided a platform for academics, scientists, industrial professionals and researchers from all over the world, to present the results of their research activities from diverse fields.
The conference also created an opportunity for participants to share their knowledge and ideas and develop innovative techniques for sustainable development.
