Accra, Feb. 29, GNA – President John Evans Atta Mills has reiterated Government’s commitment to place more emphasis on science and technology application, pledging to support institutions like the National Forum for Research, Science and Technology, formed to create a scientific culture in Ghana.
“Over the years we (the country) have paid lip service to the development of science and technology…yet without science, we are groping in the dark,” President Mills noted, when some members of the Forum led by its chairman, Professor George Benneh, an Emeritus Professor of Geography and Resource Development, called on him at the Castle on Tuesday.
The meeting was to officially inform the President of the existence of the Forum and also to invite him to an upcoming regional forum in Accra in May this year.
“These days we are moving away from the usual political talk, to real issues that will bring improvement in the lives of our people,” the President said and lauded the Forum’s objectives, which include eliciting strong commitment at the highest level of the political office and public policy makers to give concrete support to research, science and technology.
“We need to give science and technology the attention it deserves if we really want to accelerate socio economic development,” President Mills said.
Globally and in the West African sub-region, the President said, there were talks about sustainable development and the need to promote science and technology, which constitute the foundation of development activities hence Ghana should not be an exception.
He said the Forum’s decision to take its biannual national forum to the sub-regional level this year was a welcome one since ECOWAS member countries were now seeing the need to harmonize policies, most especially because of their common needs and aspirations.
He said Government would therefore not hesitate to provide the needed support if through the Forum, the country would host the meeting that would attract researchers, scientists and technology experts from across the region and beyond.
The Forum’s Chairman, Professor George Benneh said the institution (Forum) was committed to the effective promotion of science and technology through collaboration with key institutions like the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
He said at present, the Forum through such collaboration, was finding solutions to a number of issues including, measurements and weights at marketing centres in Accra, which are very useful for the country’s overall development agenda.
Various marketing centres in Accra, he said, had been sampled for the pilot phase of the project and after a proper evaluation the initiative would be extended to other regions and districts. 
Prof. Benneh said President Mills commands a lot of respect among ECOWAS heads of state and it would therefore be an added advantage for Ghana to host the scientific and technology community in West Africa under the chosen theme: “Application of Science and Technology, Innovation for sustainable development for the ECOWAS region.”
“Our national forum is not in competition with policy makers but rather aims at bridging the policy gap where public policy will play a more meaningful role to our people and overall development,” Prof. Benneh explained.
He said the application of science and technology should be the driving force to our development efforts today, especially when the nation’s oil and gas sector poses many developmental challenges and problems.
Prof. Benneh expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology for its institutional support for the Forum and also appealed to the Presidency to use his good office to support science application in the country.
Another illustrious son of Ghana, Professor F.K.A Allotey, a member of the Forum and Former Chairman, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, assured the President of the institution preparedness to promote the science and technology aspect of Government’s “Better Ghana” agenda.
For the first time Prof. Allotey said, the name of the Academy of Arts and Science was mentioned in the President’s State of the Nation Address to Parliament, which confirmed Government‘s commitment to make science and technology applications a reality in the development agenda.
China, Brazil and India, he said, are where they are today because of the conscious national effort and commitment they made and gave to the application of science and technology through years of research and development.
A copy of the report on last Forum held in Accra was presented to the President. 
The Forum was formed in 2003 to also create awareness of research, science and technology in the Ghanaian context of a global culture that had predominately become scientific.
Other Forum members, who joined the two professors to call on the President, were Mrs Sophia Gifty Awortwi, a retired Director, Science Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES); Reverend (Mrs) Joana Koranteng, Coordinator, Science Technical and Mathematics of the GES; Mrs Kate Aidoo, Asisistant Headmistress, Achimota Schoo; Mr Augustus Owusu Agyemfra, Secretary of the Forum; Mrs Olivia Opare, Akwapim North Director of Scicence Education; and Mr Lawrence Quartey, a media practioner.
