The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Cape Coast has received laboratory equipment and consumables from ADNA Biologics Limited Ghana, a subsidiary company of NKAARCO Diagnostics Limited.
The items which amount to about 7. 5 million Ghana Cedis include Thermo Scientific Kingfisher, Flex Purification System, Integra Assist Plus Languid Handling Robot, Microtiter Deep Well 96 plate, Various 50ul, 1200ul, and 200 Pipettes among others.
Addressing the media at the donation ceremony on Monday, June 26, the Dean for the School of Allied Health Sciences, Professor Desmond Omane-Acheampong said Africa contributes less than 1% of world research attributes and none in technology.
This, he said is not because Africa lacks the experts to contribute but as a result of the lack of collaboration between industry and academia.
He is therefore calling on relevant industry and academia to work together to help both Ghana and the Africa Continent advance research and technology.
To him, academia should take the first step by one, involving the respective industry players in curriculum development.
He added that they should be involved in the training of students and research.
“They are needed to push research forward. When academia involves industry that is when they will develop the interest to support us. When it comes to research we will develop the ideas and we design the ideas but funding will always come from industry to support research” he maintained.
Professor Omane-Acheampong is also appealing to the government to commit funds to support and help advance research in Ghana.
He asserted that there should be a deliberate effort to put a certain percentage of the budget into research, “because from the ideation to the prototype setting and then testing, you need research funds. And most of the time, private industries will not invest at that level.”
He further asked the government to waive duties on imported equipment and consumables for research purposes to aid the industries to donate more to assist research.
“NKAARCO is donating this equipment and consumables to us and they paid duties at the port. So, one area we can also look at that will help to push research is to waive taxes on or duties on imported consumables and equipment for research. If you do that, industry will be encouraged in and outside Ghana to support research, to push research forward. So, I will encourage that we consider that as a government” he said.
Professor Omane-Acheampong, however, expressed optimism in other industry players to emulate what NKAARKO has done and support research to help drive the country’s economy with technology.
He, in addition, charged the Department of Biomedical Sciences to preserve and take good care of the equipment.
Receiving the items, the Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Professor Alexander Egyir Yawson said the donation will relieve the department of the constraints that teaching and learning face due to inadequate equipment and consumables.
“The donation has come at a very opportune time when research and student teaching have become constrained because of consumables and so based down on funding for research in the universities and so a lot of these things cannot be purchased basically by the department. This is why it is a good contribution from NKAARCO and ADNA Biologics…and this is why it’s important for such partnerships between the universities and the private sector and industry”.
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Source: Eric Sekyi/ATLFMNEWS
