I’ll bridge the gap between science and industry – Dr Afriyie
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI), says he will bridge the gap between industry and scientists by the end his tenure in office.
He said that decision was a priority of the government to propel the industrialisation agenda of the country.
Dr Afriyie said this after visiting exhibition stands of agencies under MESTI, as part of the Civil Service Week Celebration, an event which celebrates the administrative machinery of the State.
The celebration is on the theme, “Economic Transformation amid Covid-19 Pandemic: The Responsibilities of an Adaptive Civil Service.”
The Minister said innovations in tools, equipment, food and agricultural technologies had gone through proven scientific processes and were commercially viable and needed to be scaled up.
“By the end of my tenure in office, I will do everything possible to make these innovations popular and attractive to industry to harness the potential.
“Scientists do so much and we need to build that synergy with private sector as well as industry to take these inventions up to benefit the public,” he said.
The scientists, he noted, had the capability to develop innovations to address everyday challenges and to improve livelihood, however, what was lacking was the marketing of the output.
Dr Afriyie stated that the role of civil servants towards awareness creation was crucial to the success of the agenda, explaining that Scientists were specifically trained to do research and innovate.
Madam Cynthia Asare Bediako, Chief Director of MESTI, said the work of civil servants was enormous and included translating policy into actions to improve livelihood of the public.
She said, “We often do these in our offices and many are not aware of our role so the week will celebrate gallant civil service staff and show appreciation for their dedication to work, deepen the trust of citizens in the Civil Service and the public sector in general.
“It is also to sensitise the private sector and citizens on the activities of the Ghana Civil Service, and identify areas of collaboration/partnership, and engage citizens of Ghana with the view to soliciting feedback for policy formulation.”
The Chief Director said the week would also allow civil servants to network, exchange experiences or ideas and upgrade their skills on emerging global reforms in public policies and programmes and foster unity and togetherness.
The Institutions, including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Ghana Atomic Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, took turns to explain their mandates and demonstrated some of their innovations at the event.
Source: GNA