By
Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Abankro (Ash), Oct. 19, GNA – Research
scientists in component institutions of the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR), have expressed worry over their exclusion in
national project implementation, when their professional expertise could be
leveraged for cutting-edge solutions to ensure best project outcomes.
Dr. Emmanuel Obeng Bekoe, President of the
CSIR Research Staff Association (CSIR-RSA), speaking at their Annual General
Meeting (AGM) held at Ejisu-Abankro in the Ejisu Municipality, also called on
government to implement the local content bill to ensure that 60 per cent of
materials used for national projects, were developed and procured locally.
He said it was sad that even on the few
occasions where professionals of CSIR were engaged in projects, it was only for
the initial stages, but were left out during implementation, while they could
have been worthy front liners.
“The CSIR-RSA had all the critical
expertise-technological and scientific know-how across its constituent
institutions, to bring to bear on projects such as the Planting for Food and
Jobs (PFJ), One District One Factory (1D1F) and the Country’s ongoing wrestle
with illegal mining,” he added.
Dr. Bekoe said the PFJ, for example, should
have been actively championed by the CSIR since most of the crop varieties and
agronomic packages were products or technologies from the CSIR.
“Additionally, the CSIR, could also play very
important roles in the industrialization of Ghana through 1D1F initiative as
institutions such as Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Food Research
Institute and Industrial Research Institute were specialists in the development
of raw materials needed for the proposed factories,” he stressed.
The Building and Road Research Institute
(BRRI), he advocated, should be engaged to undertake infrastructure auditing of
government funded projects and develop standardized construction costs for
these projects.
Dr. Bekoe therefore entreated government to
make good its promise to allocate one per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
as research fund, saying that such facility could provide a great funding
opportunity for research scientists to generate excellent research
technologies.
“Catalyzing Economic Development through
Scientific Innovations”, was the theme chosen for the event.
GNA