Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
THE MINISTER for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has pledged his unflinching support for the various civil service groups under his ministry to ensure that their works and operations get the needed appreciation from the public.
According to him, despite the many strides civil service organisations were making in their respective fields, they lacked the needed resources to “scale up” their innovations in order to make Ghanaians know and appreciate them duly.
He made these statements while address some civil service personnel at his ministry during this year’s Civil Service Open Day ceremony on Wednesday.
“The main problem with the Ghanaian situation is how to scale up all the innovations at the various civil service institutions and also how to make them financially viable,” he noted.
“That,” he assured, “has been my agenda – first of all to make Ghanaians know and appreciate the array of innovative products and services we are seeing today and also for them to know that indeed we have the capability.”
While appreciating the personnel for their good works, the minister indicated that there was the need to have the private sector on board in ensuring that all the innovations are given the needed publicity and also marketed well.
Civil Service Open Day
The Civil Service Open Day is a weeklong event where various civil service institutions display their products and services to the general public.
Some institutions under the MESTI were on the premises, where they showcased their unique wares, products and services ranging from agricultural, biotechnological, nutritional and environmental products.
In attendance was the Environmental Protection Agency who displayed various equipment including the analyser – a device used in checking the quality of air; a drone – used in monitoring mining and concession areas; as well as the metalyser – a device used to check water quality for metals and other minerals.
The Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FRI) also displayed processed natural food items including containers of groundnut paste and cartons of local food including banku, fufu etc.
The CSIR – Animal Research Institute also had on display various feeds for animals including multi-nutrient feed for cattle as well as bottles of concoctions used in mitigating foul stench in animal farms.
Other institutions who also had their wares on display were the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute as well as the CSIR – Institute of Industrial Research.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio