SEARCHING FOR SPOCK – SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION STRATEGY
I still strongly believe that Ghana needs a robust science, technology and innovation strategy and a framework for achieving it. See my previous writings. All the successful countries have something akin to this and they put a huge drive to realise this ambition. E.g. the US (National Science and Technology Council, Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, Energy, Infrastructure, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health); UK (Advanced Research and Invention Agency, UK Research and Innovation); China (National Natural Science Foundation of China, Central Science and Technology Commission. South East Asians are doing same. The Middle Eastern countries including Qater, UAE, and Saudi Arabia have in recent times launched policies/strategies for science, technology and innovation and big research centres that focus on health, food security, energy, and artificial intelligence. Luckily, Ghana has the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) with a broad focus including food security, water resources, environment and information technology; Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research with a focus on health; and universities with big science and engineering focus including KNUST, University of Ghana, University of Energy, Academy University, and Technical universities. These institutions have not lived up to their expectations. A forceful national strategy is needed to breathe new air into them and drive them to realise the renewed ambition. They need a reset.
Energy and Renewables
We all agree that Ghana needs to expand its energy generation capacity, and that climate change is a real threat. We can explore sound sources of energy for industrial growth while at the same time dealing with the climate emergency. Depending on the ‘so called’ climate financing or rather handouts from donors would be insufficient. The US state of Texas uses more electricity than the whole of sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa). Average monthly electricity consumption in Texas is 1,094 kilowatt hours (kWh) while per capita electricity consumption in sub-Saharan Africa (excl. South Africa) is 180 kWh. Ghana has been slow in expanding its energy capacity. Installed capacity remains at 5GW. Bangladesh increased capacity from 17GW in 2017 to 28GW in 2024.
Ghana needs to promote and facilitate the use of solar energy, particularly for residential and office buildings. Government should consider an incentive scheme that will increase access. i.e. encourage and support people to acquire the needed equipments and accessories to install and use solar energy in their homes and offices. Norway’s incentive model for accelerating take up of electric vehicles is a good source of learning. Even though the Ghanaian government can’t afford to be as charitable as its Norwegian counterpart.
Of the $50 billion funding announced by China at last year’s Africa-China summit $10 billion is supposed to go to Chinese businesses in Africa. I suggest the government should explore how to partner with Chinese firms, who are the world leaders in all things related to solar energy, to access this financing facility. Chinese firms can establish solar energy equipment factories, as gateway to a growing African market, and also partner Ghanaian universities so that they can transfer their technology, in time, to Ghanaian firms.