Eight Ghanaian scientists were on Monday inducted into the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GASS) in Accra, for their tremendous contributions in science development in the country.
They were Professor Daniel Kwadwo Asiedu, Provost, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Professor George Obeng Adjei, Associate Professor at University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare, Associate Professor at West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens and Professor David Kofi Essumang, Dean of School of Physical Science, University of Ghana.
The others were Professor Grace Ofori-Sarpong, Associate Professor at George Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Professor Julius Najah Fobil, Associate Professor University of Ghana, Professor Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of National Health Insurance Authority and Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, University for Development Studies, Tamale.
Speaking at the induction ceremony as part of activities of the 2019 founders week celebration of GAAS, themed “Beyond 60 years of scholarly excellence- new frontiers and prospects” President of the Academy, Professor Henrietta J.A.N Mensa-Bonsu, said lack of funding had become their major challenge.
She said inadequate funding from the state had made it difficult for GAAS to publish its annual proceedings; a situation she lamented, hinders the progress of the academy.
“The inability of the state to provide adequate funding for the work of the Academy did not only change some of its ingrained habits but also the discharge of its responsibilities. As it had no money to fund the publication of its Annual Proceedings.
Even though funds were later sourced from the Canadian High Commission, it had already become clear that the tradition could not be sustained. Fundraising from various sources has now taken on an urgency that was not the case in the first twenty years of the life of the Academy,” she said.
Professor Mensa-Bonsu said most of the Academy’s lectures had been kept going by the ad hoc sourcing of funds from industries and from the ingenuity and private contacts of Fellows.
She said the inability of the Academy to honour its statutory objectives, thus, to establish and maintain proper academic standards in various areas of Arts and Sciences needs immediate redress.
“The provision in the Academy’s enabling legislation for learned and professional societies which seek to become affiliated to the Academy, to be assisted to publish their journals etc. has seen no progress these past thirty-something years,” she said.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
