The Government is committed to strengthening research and development to place scientific research at the centre of socio-economic development, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has stated.
According to the Minister, government was aware of the need to rethink investment in research, and poised to step up efforts towards making resources available to promote sustainable research.
He was speaking on Tuesday at the Evidence for Innovation (E4I) workshop organised under the auspices of CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
The workshop was on the theme: ‘Supporting Programmes and Policies for Sustainable Enterprises ecosystem.’
The workshop brought together partners from other IDRC projects, involving SMEs and startups, research and development actors on impact investing, among many others.
The Minister said the role of higher education and research institutions was key in ensuring a robust and sustainable discourse.
‘‘In Ghana, we are proud to support initiatives that drive this agenda forward. From digital adoption programmes for SMEs to targeted incentives for women-led enterprises, we are seeking to apply evidence in real time, learning from efforts such as those presented here, by CSIR-STEPRI and other organisations,” Dr Mohammed added.
He also called on government agencies to enhance communication in order to create the needed platforms for collaborative partnerships and networks to unlock private capital and also enhance the scientific community.
The Director of CSIR-STEPRI, Dr Wilhelmina Quaye, mentioned that CSIR-STEPRI played a unique role in driving socioeconomic development through science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy research.
She stated that the E4I Workshop would address key challenges, explore transformative solutions, and work towards strengthening networks among innovation agencies.
‘‘We are expected to promote collaboration between researchers and innovation agencies, build stronger connections across the Evidence for Innovation (E4I) project cohort, find new opportunities to increase uptake of project results and leverage opportunities to engage private sector actors, including incubators, impact investors, SMEs and other business organizations,’’ she added.
Moreover, she noted that building strong connections among innovation agencies is crucial for fostering collaboration, sharing resources, scaling innovations, influencing policies and advocating for the needs of MSMEs, ultimately driving impactful solutions for economic growth.
The Evidence for Innovation (E4I) initiative sought to generate new evidence on the performance and the distributional impacts of innovation support programmes for SMEs; promote collaboration between researchers and innovation agencies; and strengthen networks and capacity for analysis and implementation of innovation policies.
BY TIMES REPORTER
