Government Pledges to Bolster Research for Development: Minister

Accra: The Government is committed to strengthening research and development to place scientific research at the center of socio-economic development, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has said. He highlighted the Government's awareness of the need to rethink investment in research and expressed readiness to intensify efforts to make resources available for promoting sustainable research.According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Muhammed was speaking at the Evidence for Innovation (E4I) workshop organized by CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The workshop, themed 'Supporting Programmes and Policies for Sustainable Enterprises Ecosystem,' gathered partners from various IDRC projects, including SMEs, startups, and research and development actors focused on impact investing.The Minister emphasized the significant role of higher education and research institutions in e nsuring a robust and sustainable discourse. He expressed pride in initiatives that propel this agenda forward in Ghana, such as digital adoption programs for SMEs and targeted incentives for women-led enterprises. He stressed the importance of applying evidence in real-time and learning from efforts demonstrated by CSIR-STEPRI and other organizations.In her opening remarks, Dr. Wilhelmina Quaye, Director of CSIR-STEPRI, noted the institute's unique role in driving socioeconomic development through science, technology, and innovation policy research. She indicated that the E4I Workshop aimed to address key challenges, explore transformative solutions, and work towards strengthening networks among innovation agencies.Dr. Quaye emphasized the importance of promoting collaboration between researchers and innovation agencies, building stronger connections within the Evidence for Innovation (E4I) project cohort, finding opportunities to increase uptake of project results, and engaging private sector actors, inc luding incubators, impact investors, SMEs, and other business organizations. She highlighted that establishing strong connections among innovation agencies is crucial for fostering collaboration, sharing resources, scaling innovations, influencing policies, and advocating for the needs of MSMEs, ultimately contributing to economic growth.The Evidence for Innovation (E4I) initiative aims to generate new evidence on the performance and distributional impacts of innovation support programs for SMEs, promote collaboration between researchers and innovation agencies, and strengthen networks and capacity for analysis and implementation of innovation policies.