CSIR Launches Strategic Plan

The Institute of Industrial Research (IIR) of the Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) yesterday in Accra launched a Five Year Strategic Plan which seeks to drive national development and global competitiveness in industry through scientific and technogical research.

Launching the strategy document which starts from this year to 2012, Mr Edward Ashong Lartey of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) observed that in both developed and developing countries, the competitive advantage of enterprises in the industrial sector is derived from their ability to continuously harness their innovative technologies.

He said the importance of the strategic plan is to build competitive advantage by focusing on technology delivery in the areas of expertise. 'It will make CSIR focus on attracting, maintaining and developing the best research minds in areas of expertise', he noted.

Mr Lartey pointed out that the Strategic Plan will also help pursue social operating mechanisms that will empower and inspire the organisation and the general public. Also, as a result the institute will become financially independent by developing sustainable internal sources of revenue and collaborate globally with relevant research centres and industries.

He said socio-economic growth has been experienced in many countries through the promotion of innovative organisations that mobilise a variety of factor inputs to create new products, processes and services.

Mr Ashong Lartey pointed out that 'after 50 years as an independent country the primary sector like agriculture, mining and quarrying forestry still dominates the economy of Ghana, in term of its contribution to output, employment revenue generation and foreign earning', adding that agriculture remains the main economic activity involving over 50 percent the national labour force.

The Deputy Director-General of CSIR, Dr. Rose E. M. Entsua-Mensah, noted that most leaders and business managers are so often preoccupied with immediate issues that they lost sight of their ultimate goals, adding that this is why a strategic plan is a virtual necessity.

She said managers and leaders of institutions and businesses must have a clear vision of what businesses they are in define a pathway or direction from the organisation and make decisions on allocating resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people.