Science, technology, innovation key to African development, says Onu

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu yesterday, in Ghana urged Africans to embrace science, technology and innovation for the development of the continent.

Onu made the disclosure at a lecture he delivered on Science and Technology, to mark the 56th anniversary of the state of Ghana as a republic, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), Ghana.

He said Africans could no longer pay lip service to the development of science and technology, stressing that the time to intensify the economic development of Africa is now, not tomorrow.

Although, the minister noted that African had unfortunately become the face of hunger, disease, illiteracy, abject poverty, malnutrition, political instability, strife, disorder and the home of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), he said, things have fortunately started to improve in the past fifteen years.

“Africa got to this sad state because Africans forgot those things that made their ancestors great.

“When Africans decided to take a route different from that of their ancestors, things started falling apart. Knowledge, particularly technological knowledge, no longer played the role that it did in the greatness of their past,” the minister added.

According to him, it is important to point out that nations, both big and small, know that knowledge is central to development, social progress and human freedom.

Such nations, he said invested heavily in the pursuit of knowledge, particularly scientific and technological knowledge, as the problems that confront a nation are usually numerous and diverse.

The minister, who recalled the glory of African ancient past, and the painful immediate past of Africa said, Africans must see the development of science and technology as their future and work hard to utilise it as an important tool for enduring and sustainable development.

The project is expected to generate 1,000 megawatts by 2030.