Government must allocate part of GDP to scientific research – CSIR
The Chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has called on the Government to set aside a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for scientific research and development.
Professor Eugene H. Amonoo-Neizer, who made the call, said it was in line African Union’s protocol, which mandated members of the continental body to set aside one per cent of their GDP to research in areas that would improve knowledge in science.
He said most governments in Africa had been concern with issues that would win them votes thereby neglecting the pursuit of science which was the key to development.
Prof Amonoo-Neizer was speaking at Nyankpala in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern Region on Monday, during his maiden visit to the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) as Head of CSIR.
Prof Amonoo-Neizer who is also the former Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a past Diplomat announced that the country would soon get a horticultural institute to make the industry viable.
He noted that through Government’s intervention the shea industry was now growing faster enough to surpass the country’s major cash crop-cocoa.
Prof Amonoo-Neizer lauded the dedicated services of scientists at the Institute, which is a subsidiary of SARI despite the high attrition rate of the staff and assured them of efforts to improve on their conditions of service.
Dr Stephen Nutsugah, Director of SARI outlined the activities of the research institute, which was set up in 980 with GTZ (German Agency for Technical Co-operation) finance and technical support.
He said the research areas of the Institute, which is operational in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, included crop improvement, soil fertility management, cropping systems, crop protection and post harvest improvement.
Dr Nutsugah said throughout the years SARI had undertaken numerous research studies that had led to the discovery of variety of rice, soyabean and as well as other innovations that had improved on agricultural produce in the country.
He said agricultural productivity had been low and stagnated due to limited use of inputs such as fertilisers and improved seeds by farmers coupled with the rapid decline in soil fertility and erratic rainfall.
Source: GNA
Media Foundation for West Africa observes Liberia Election
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its partners under the West Africa Human Rights and Democratization (WARHD) Alliance are in Monrovia to observe Liberia’s general elections slated for tomorrow, October 11, 2011.
The WAHRD Alliance is a partnership between the MFWA and two other Accra-based regional organizations, the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) and the West African Network for Peacebuilding, (WANEP), which is funded by IBIS – West Africa, a Danish NGO.
A statement in Accra on Monday signed by Prof Kwame Karikari, Executive Director of MFWA, it was the second election project of the WARHD Alliance since its formation after working extensively in the three Northern regions of Ghana during the 2008 election.
“As part of the MFWA-WAHRD project in Liberia, MFWA in June 2011 trained the political communicators of the five main parties contesting this general election and the media on the need, and how, to use decent and non-violent language on public communication platforms including the media to ensure a peaceful election in a post-conflict Liberia.”
The statement named the beneficiary parties as Liberty Party (LP), Unity Party (UP), National Democratic Coalition (NDC), Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and the National Union for Democratic Progress (NUDP).
“Apart from observing the election, MFWA will monitor the media and political party communicators on their language use on radio, television and newspapers during the election week and also record cases of the use of abusive language on the airwaves by political party communicators and media practitioners.”
It would also monitor the general conduct of the media during the elections, the statement added.
Source: GNA