MEST allocates funds for biotechnology development

Accra, June 22, GNA - The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), has made available 3.2 billion cedis in its current budget to two institutions to improve their capacity in biotechnology development.

It said two billion cedis has been allocated for the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) while the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) would get 1.2 billion cedis.

Dr Farouk Brimah, Deputy Minister of MEST, said that with the funds, the two institutions would be able to help the country to address some of its critical development needs in the areas of health and agriculture.

He was opening a two-day National Stakeholders Feedback Workshop of the Biotechnology Development Programme in Accra.

The workshop is a follow-up to the national conference on "Priority Setting for Sustainable Biotechnology Development in Agriculture and Health" held at Elmina last year.

It is to enable stakeholders to review biotechnological activities in the country with the view of ensuring the attainment of food security, agricultural growth of eight per cent and the prevention and control of human diseases.

The project involves the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI) of CSIR, the Graduate School of Environmental Studies of the University of Strathclyde in Britain and the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agricultural Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.

Dr Brimah said that at the Elmina Conference, the importance of biotechnology to the country's development taking into account resources available was recognised.

He said government recognises the importance of science and technology towards the attainment of the goals of Vision 2020, the government's blueprint for socio-economic development.

"With respect to biotechnology, we see it as an emerging technology, which if harnessed properly could augur well for the development of this country's agricultural, manufacturing and health sectors.

"My ministry has taken due notice of the prevailing biotechnology situation in the country, and being aware of what can be achieved with a more enhanced capacity, has placed biotechnology at the top of the research and development agenda."

Dr Brimah said the prevailing world market trends requires that Ghana incorporates science and technology into her agricultural production systems adding that the emphasis on quality control and assurance in world trade demands a scientific approach to production.

In the health sector, the Deputy Minister said that with biotechnology applications, antidotes and diagnostics for malaria and some chronic diseases, including tuberculosis, cholera, buruli ulcer and HIV/AIDS could be developed.

He expressed the hope that CSIR and GAEC would not let the country down and appealed to participants to work as a team to achieve maximum results.

Dr Joseph Gogo, Director of STEPRI, said that stakeholders in the Biotechnology Development Programme see a national policy in the area as an important requirement because of the diverse issues that confront them.

He said that elsewhere, biotechnology researchers have developed rice enriched with vitamin A and iron as well as maize with pollen so rich in biopesticides that butterflies lose their lives during pollination.

Dr Gogo said taking a cue from them would enable Ghana to meet critical nutritional needs.

He commended the MEST for establishing a National Biosafety Committee to ensure that negative effects of biotechnology do not impact on the country.

He thanked the United Kingdom Department for International Development for the financial support.

Professor Walter Alhassan, Director General of the CSIR, called for a forum to create awareness about the advantages and disadvantages of biotechnolgy to make it easier for the public to appreciate and support its use in the country.