The session which was on the theme, "Leveraging Science and Technology for Development,” was held as part of the just ended 3rd Biennial Science and Development Conference, organised by CBAS, and was part of activities marking the 75th Anniversary celebrations of the University of Ghana.
Participants from academia and industry, reflected on how Science and Technology can be used to aid Ghana’s and Africa’s development.
The Director of IAST Prof. David Dodoo-Arhin, in his welcome address, indicated that the Industry-Academia Interaction Series is one of the flagship programmes of the Institute that creates a platform for industry and the UG academic community to engage on relevant issues of common interests and to foster stronger partnerships between the two stakeholders.
Director of IAST, Prof. David Dodoo-Arhin
He lauded the remarkable advances in the fields of Agriculture, Medicine, Energy, Communication, and Transportation and the potential for Science and Technology to drive economic growth and social progress amidst many challenges facing the global community, from poverty and inequality to climate change and environmental degradation.
A cross-section of participants at the event
He expressed the belief that it is the responsibility of academia and industry to ensure that the advancements are leveraged to benefit society as a whole.
‘‘We know that Science and Technology can play a critical role in addressing these challenges, but we also recognise that this cannot be accomplished by the efforts of scientists and engineers alone. Rather, it requires the collaboration of industry, policymakers, and society working together to develop and deploy innovative solutions that benefit all members of our community”, Prof. Dodoo-Arhin reiterated.
Delivering a keynote address on the topic "Science & Technology: Catalyst for Business Value Addition & Societal Development,” Nana Osei Bonsu, CEO of the Private Enterprises Federation, strongly noted that academia needs money to expand research into basic production to create improvements in the country.
Nana Osei Bonsu, CEO of the Private Enterprises Federation
“If we don't devote more resources to expand research into technology to improve demand-driven efficiency, we are going to be where we are. Research must be useful to the demands of business and industry”, he said.
He expressed worry about the low level of direct implementation of innovations and important findings of research conducted by academia, adding that the situation needs to be addressed immediately.
A cross-section of participants at the event
CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Ing. Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, one of the Guest Speakers during the session, expressed the view that there is an urgent need for impactful ‘tripodal’ collaboration involving Academia, Industry, and Society.
CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Ing. Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey
Premising his statement on the fact that no single public or private entity alone can generate all the necessary knowledge, ideas and resources needed to envision, innovate, design, develop, and create products and services in our market and take up significant market share in the global market. Mr. Ashigbey stated that the “Academic-Industry-Society tripodal collaborations and engagements are a necessary prerequisite for innovation, and active interactions between these three agents. They are essential for any country like Ghana to achieve greater competitiveness.”
To him, the successful combating of the Ebola epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic are evidence of the Academia, Society, and Industry collaboration.
A cross-section of participants at the event
She highlighted the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as one of the best tools available for achieving this goal. According to Dr. Tenkorang, "We need to identify and leverage the best tools, that is, AI, to improve our workforce."
Dr. Mercy Gardiner Tenkorang, CEO of DevApps Ltd
She added that by automating routine and time-consuming tasks, AI can free up workers to focus on higher value-added activities, ultimately leading to improved performance and productivity.
Dr. Tenkorang further stressed the importance of harnessing knowledge from the abundance of data available through thorough data analysis.
A representative from the Office of Research, Innovation, and Development (ORID), Mrs. Diana Adobea Antwi, speaking on "Demystifying Tech Transfer and Intellectual Property at UG," highlighted the challenges facing research and development (R&D) in Ghana. She noted that despite the potential for innovation, "Government and industry support for Research and Development is not growing. This lack of support has resulted in limited success for the University of Ghana (UG), with only one patent to its name.”
Representative from ORID, Mrs. Diana Adobea Antwi
Mrs. Antwi underscored the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) protection, stating that "protection of knowledge is crucial for knowledge transfer. Without adequate IP protection, the commercialisation and transfer of innovative ideas from academia to industry become difficult, hindering the potential for economic growth and development”, Mrs. Antwi stated.
The 6th IAST Industry-Academia Interaction Session was chaired by the Institute’s former Ag. Director, Prof. Sammy Sackey.
Also present at the session was the Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Prof. Boateng Onwona‐Agyeman; Director of the West Africa Centre of Crop Improvement, Prof. Eric Danquah; Ms. Eyerusalem Fasika, Country Manager of the African Development Bank, researchers and students among others.
A group photo after the event