NaRDIC versus RAS, Beyond the Gambia

NaRDIC may be a Gambia government initiative, but different countries have their versions of NaRDIC or a similar thing in the pipeline. NaRDIC is an acronym for National Research Development and Innovative Council; whereas RAS is an acronym for Researchers Access Store (RAS), a proposal to facilitate innovation far beyond the Gambia. A government that can deceive about ten media houses is a big deceptor, but a person who can publicly challenge the culprits and victims is a saviour to those willing to learn. How many mediahouses in and beyond the Gambia reported about the NaRDIC bill in questionable ways? Despite how my title sounds, I am not opposed to the NaRDIC idea, but is it another false hope or worse? Will NaRDIC embrace the RAS idea or gamble with bureaucracy and corruption?

NaRDIC is a passed bill, but none of the media houses that reported about it or the ones I read mentioned where to find the full bill. That is one failure that countless journalists commit far beyond the Gambia and Africa. Details matter, especially in our age, and people's right to such details matter for various reasons. With digital space becoming more affordable, you can have the full bill on your websites or at least tell your audience where to find the actual bill. Few mediahouses doing one minute work versus thousands or millions of citizens searching inefficiently? No! Maybe even the journalists did not read the bill, but were excited with the little info they gave them and they just echo to another naive populace? My point is we heard how members of parliament (congress) reportedly vote without reading the bills and how many claims about bill passing while distractions are created. Again, I am emphasising the problem is far beyond the Gambia, but will the willing learn? I searched for the bill, but the National Assembly's website is not yet updated. How hard is it to update a website is a different question from how hard it is to forward a copy of the debated bill versus the passed bill to the press? Again, I think even citizens deserve to know the details of a debated bill, let alone journalists. So what measures can we enact to force more transparency in regards to bills, even before voting? Will Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, etc learn from Jarga before the Gambia?

Considering RAS is an amazing idea that precedes NaRDIC, I expected Gambian journalists to ask questions and explain why RAS should be among the first projects of NaRDIC. Otherwise, NaRDIC may spend over one billion dollars in inefficient ways and ignore one of the best ways to optimize innovation and a just playing field. Despite my title, I do not want to spend much time explaining RAS and its potentials, I prefer you search for the article: Researchers Access Store (RAS) by Jarga Kebba Gigo. The purpose of the article is primarily how to improve NaRDIC, not necessarily compete with them in any way.

Since you and I do not have the full NaRDIC bill, we can suggest and reasonably assume. We do not want another bureaucratic institution that may frustrate the best of us. Fill endless forms and pay bribes to get funds for your research is not a far-fetched assumption... I am not opposed to filling forms where need be, but a hundred people getting one million dollars each is one hundred million dollars, while even fifty million dollars can help start a RAS and open doors for millions of people.

Researchers have different needs and money is not necessarily the number one need. Researchers need access to raw materials, information, partnership, etc. You can argue money helps on such, but my point is giving me or anyone a million dollars without something like RAS means inefficient shopping around the world and time wasting towards failure or minimal achievements. By establishing RAS, Researcher A may fully finance his/her research project; Researcher B may apply for funds to be denied on which grounds, but a private sponsor can partner up towards success through RAS +. Researchers C to z may have formal education and connections to get million dollars from NaRDIC and still produce nothing. However, if NaRDIC helped in the realization of RAS, then who can over-cry?

I am hinting if the bill or NaRDIC understands research and innovation are not dependent on formal education. High school students and dropouts did invent many things. So RAS is one way to be inclusive and bureaucracy cannot ignore the importance of formal education. If I was to head NaRDIC, I would not finance a poor illiterate farmer with top notch Engineering research.

Also hinting did the bill have allocations or too early to suggest that? I mean if the bill states at least 25% of allocated funds must go to tertiary research institutions. It is overdue for even our high schools to be involved in research, but they will need RAS and some money. We understand universities or tertiary may produce the most results, so by allocating 25% to them, you and I as head can proceed with merit based approval. It won't matter if 5% goes to high schools in one year, but 10% or 15 % the next year due to multiple factors. The reason bills, especially in Africa, should have some quotas is partly to reduce corruption and maximise productivity. The bright high school student will have RAS+ and be motivated to proceed to university for more potential funding of his or her research. Although I admit thinking and formal education are different, it is good to encourage our young ones to embrace formal education. Any allocation like matching funds for private schools, considering how well, wealthy, and poor some private schools are? We cannot leave everything to policy level, some essential guidelines should be at law or bill level.

Did the bill include the importance of reaching out to neighbouring countries? Yes, we should proceed with or without others, but our small size and other factors mean collaboration may help. Innovation is largely about economy building, so having Ecowas or AU level cooperation will greatly help. We cannot force other countries, but the bill can mandate 'seeking collaboration ' up to China. This will ascertain the head does not collect salary and refuse simple efforts. By having the whole of Ecowas having similar or even partnership with a few countries can help, including the RAS idea. After innovation, we will want cooperation, so having collaboration while seeking innovation is about fore-thought. NaRDIC Gambia with NaRDIC Senegal or Ghana working together may be much more beneficial than soccer or sport collaborations. We must learn to collaborate much more in the world of learning, not just fun and small aspects of work for trip allowances. We can even have research competitions as time goes on, including merit based awards.

I understand NaRDIC is supposed to be 'independent ', but that does not mean much. How many ways the bill provides to fire a weak performing leadership? 'Independent' or over protection sometimes mean being stuck. 'Independent' should also never mean no over-sight or tasking like regional collaborations. If we can help Bissau or xyz start similarly, we all can benefit beyond our imaginations.

Conditions can be reasonable and our age demands a strong culture of cameras. If we are giving ten million dollars to our university to research on a flying vehicle, achievements can be within months or years. It is reasonable to demand all research work must be under cameras. 1. It will reduce play. 2. If you successfully make the flying vehicle, we help you with patents. 3. If you make 20% or 70% by graduation, our conditions should help the next students compete with you towards completion. Good luck if you do well as an independent researcher after graduation, but a new student completing it and making some of your work much better may mean court under cameras, not just claims. 'Work under hire ' exists, but how can we compensate the best innovative employees/students? Will the students beat the professors on innovation or only in soccer? You need students with courage, but balanced with discipline. Of course the university or xyz will have the right to secure all recordings above NaRDIC, unless where court or xyz need arises.

I can go on, but I think reading the bill first will help. Who will lead NaRDIC in the Gambia or your country should be a thinker, not just formal degrees or connection with the president or xyz. How often should leadership change to expedite more ideas? All institutions, including NaRDIC, should be mandated with good documentation practices. Africans tend to over-value experience and formal education. Thinking can be higher than both, and documentation can relay the benefits of experience. So all offices should have better documentation rules or even law demanding measures. I hope every country works towards a 'research institution', but also to have Researchers Access Store (RAS). Search for RAS to learn much more. I hope journalists will demand more transparency beyond bills, engage citizens to improve bills, encourage allocations even before policy level, etc. May God bless Showlove Trinity: let's learn, let's work, let's have fun.

Read More: RAS: Description, Funding, Management and Research Tips, Plus Challenges

By Jarga Kebba Gigo
An Activist and Transformer
Author of Juts Quhr-aahn

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