Ghanaian scientists express disappointment

Ghanaian Scientists on Thursday expressed disappointment at alleged government statements that results of their research findings were only gathering dust on shelves. They said the statement was a serious drawback to the socio-economic development agenda of the government's Golden Age of Business.

The Scientists expressed these sentiments in a series of addresses during the Annual General Meeting of the Research Staff Association (RSA) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The meeting, which started on Wednesday, was under the theme "The Role of CSIR in Sustainable Private Sector Development In the Golden Age of Business."

Dr Charles Biney, Director, Water Research Institute, recalled that President John Kufuor and the Minister of Agriculture, Major Courage Quarshigah had said that findings by researchers were gathering dust on the shelves.

"His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor who granted audience to a joint delegation from the CSIR and the Asante Mampong Traditional Council, pointed out that our results were gathering dust on the shelves." Dr Biney said Major Quarshigah had repeated the statement.

He urged his colleagues that though they might have tangible reasons and genuine arguments against those observations, it was their duty to change this image of the Ghanaian Scientist.

Dr Apem D. Agyei, National President of the RSA, in another address blamed the CSIR management saying, "They cannot escape the blame for the marginalisation of the CSIR in the government scheme of operations."

He said the lack of money syndrome by government was due to the absence of any sustained and sustainable programme by the CSIR adding that management had not been proactive to seek better conditions of service for its personnel to attract the best brains.

Dr Agyei said the time had come for Ghanaians to respect the experts in the scientific community because "all that most of the foreign consultants do is to ask for our watches to tell us the time."

He challenged the government to make its vision of making the country a leader in agro processing in the sub-region clear to the scientists saying, "the Scientists in the CSIR are prepared to meet any challenge by government once the vision is clearly defined."

Dr Agyei said the Ghanaian scientists were frustrated and therefore more were leaving the field in their numbers. "This year alone we have lost 43 of our specialists through resignations, we still expect more." He wondered why a separate Ministry was created for Technology alone.