Economic transformation is based on science and technology – President

News from Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Source: thefinderonline.com

2019-01-23

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, emphasized the importance of developing the country's scientific and technological base as an important step towards accelerating development and improving the well-being of citizens.

To achieve this, he said the government had launched policies to place science and technology at the center of its development agenda.

"To achieve this goal, sectoral policies, programs and strategies are being implemented on the basis of the overall national science, technology and innovation policy," he said.

The President made these statements at the opening of the conference organized by the Ghana Institute of Engineering, the MasterCard Foundation and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, held at Peduase by Ghana, beyond aid and youth employment. Valley Resort, Peduase.

The President noted that the conference, which brought together Ghana's best minds, was a crucial step for the future success of the country.

He emphasized that all underdeveloped countries were doing so through deliberate policies using the application of technology for development.

He added that, notwithstanding Ghana's enviable progress in the area of ​​democratic governance in recent years, additional efforts should be made to provide the people of Ghana with a dignified standard of living and to put the country on the right track. sustained progress. and prosperity.

He lamented that although Ghana gained independence along with its Asian counterparts, they (Asians) were able to use the benefits of technology to grow their countries.

"Our economies are still predominantly agrarian and largely depend on the production and export of raw materials backed by the largesse of our foreign friends," added 61 years after independence, Ghana continues to maintain its position. import equipment, machinery and even human capital. . "

This phenomenon, he noted, is detrimental to the country's development, noting that Ghana can no longer continue to develop policies based on all the support that the technologically advanced world can offer.

"It has not worked and it will not work," he said.

He added that his vision of a Ghana beyond help was to build in Ghana a strong and solid economy, capable of generating a dignified and prosperous existence for its people and making Ghana self-reliant.

"The goal of Ghana's development policy is to ensure that science, technology and innovation drive all sectors of the economy," he added.

In addition, the President reported that the Ministry of Science and Technology was collaborating with the Ministry of Education to set up a foundry and a center of processing of CNC machine tools, in Accra and Kumasi .

"These facilities will be used to make tools, equipment and instruments to support key sectors of the economy, such as agriculture and industry. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate industrialization, help solve the problem of widespread unemployment in the country and generate wealth that will remain in the country, "he said.

With the full implementation of these policies, President Akufo-Addo was confident: "We will begin to see clearly the outlines of a Ghana beyond the aid. It will be a prosperous Ghana whose economy is led by an entrepreneurial and innovative private sector. This country will serve as a regional hub for financial services with full employment, a low poverty rate, a stable currency and low inflation. "

Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, Executive Director of the Ghana Institute of Engineering, said Ghana needed to be technology-driven and results-oriented in all aspects of its development to achieve the goal of "Ghana Beyond help".