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Minister: MESTI to commercialise its researches, innovations

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) has received the greenlight to setup a unit that will enable it commercialise its researches and innovations, the sector Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie has disclosed.

The establishment of the unit, apart from focusing on the commercial application of research, technology and innovation of the ministry, would also help in developing a circular economy for the country.

“Through our institutions, we also do applied research like that of the universities, however, ours are geared towards commercial application.

 In fact, I have been given the go ahead by the President to set up a commercial unit which will be equivalent to some of our institutes but they will be focusing on the marketing and commercial application of our innovations.

You do not expect Professors to suddenly become experts in marketing and so on and so forth,” he emphasised.

Dr  Afriyie who disclosed this when he took his turn at the Wednesday edition of the ministers’ briefing in Accra yesterday said the MESTI was an enabler that share mandate with other ministries but tasked with policy, planning and legal matters.

He said government was leveraging on science, technology and innovation with emphasis on research for national development.

In this direction, he noted that the ministry was collaborating with other agencies including the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), Ministry of Sanitation, Water Resources, Ministry of Local Government,  Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) and the Ministry of Education (MoE).

He said the Ghana National Research Fund was intended to promote applied research and commercialisation through the provision of support, including the development of infrastructure for research and innovation.

Dr Afriyie explained that through its industrial and applied research for development, the MESTI provided seedlings and seeds of cereals, legumes, coconut, oil palm, tubers and plantain for the various ecozones for planting.

In addition to these, it was involved in the propagation of indigenous and exotic tree species as well as producing materials for the building and road construction industry.

Touching on the country’s nuclear development agenda, he said a lot of work had gone into it and the time was ripe for the country to actualise the vision.

He said the country had passed the stage one of its nuclear development and was currently at the second stage, stressing that “We have called for the expression of interest and about five vendor countries had applied for it.”

Dr Afriyie said that would be the only way the country could develop its bauxite and iron ore industries adding that; “Nuclear provides not just reliable energy but also affordable one. 

BY CLIFF EKUFUL

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