Researchers must be innovative - Gambila

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Boniface Gambila is asking Scientists and Technologists to come out with more innovative research work that would address problems hindering the nation's development.

He said as policy makers, evaluators and implementers, Government required innovative research work that would guide them in effective policy-making.

“The three northern regions with their numerous problems needed pragmatic research work to solve them especially the single rainy season in the area with its attendant long period of drought coupled with the harsh harmattan," he added.

Mr Gambila made the call at the launching of the Northern Chapter of African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS) Network at the Navrongo Campus of University for Development Studies (UDS).

The ATPS was instituted to improve the quality of technology in policy making in Sub-Saharan Africa and to strengthen the region's institutional capacity for the management of technological development.

Mr Gambila commended the noble ideas of ATPS and appealed to its members to develop appropriate scientific and technological research to address issues confronting the nation, especially the three northern regions.

He pointed out that the situation where research findings were shelved in the universities and some research institutions were being addressed because policy makers had now become more conscious of the value and potential of research.

"This would help us to solve the intractable problems of our people. This is more relevant for those of us in the northern sector of the country where there is abject poverty even though opportunities abound to tackle some of the problems," he added.

Dr Isaac Adetude, Vice Dean of Faculty of Applied Sciences of UDS, noted that even though the faculty had produced many students since its inception, the university was still grappling with varied problems including inadequate human resource.

He said most of the lecturers working in the faculty, had not had long research experiences therefore, the ATPS programme would facilitate their exposure to research, cross fertilisation of ideas, funding of research and building the capacity of staff to assist the university address its problems.

Source: GNA