By:
Robert Kwaku Annor
Ghana’s innovation hubs and
startups should be formally recognised as key actors and delivery partners in
the country’s research and innovation commercialisation ecosystem, the Ghana
Hubs Network (GHN) has said.
The call was made during the
AEDIB 2.0 Validation and Roadmap Design Workshop held in Accra, where
stakeholders examined Ghana’s Research Commercialization Policy, the proposed
Ghana Science and Technology Development Agency (GSTDA) Bill and the
operationalisation of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science, Technology
and Innovation (PACSTI).
Seth Panyin Boamah, Director
for Research and Policy at the Ghana Hubs Network, represented the network at
the two-day workshop and served as its chairman.
The workshop brought
together stakeholders to assess the current landscape, examine international
benchmarks and identify gaps, institutional overlaps, dependencies and
practical steps required to advance the three priority areas.
Boamah said the discussions
were focused on moving beyond policy conversations and translating them into
clear workplans and practical roadmaps for implementation.
A key position advanced by
the Ghana Hubs Network was the need for innovation hubs and startups to be
explicitly incorporated into Ghana’s research commercialisation framework as
actors and delivery partners.
The discussions also
examined how the proposed Ghana Sciences and Technology Development Agency Bill
and the operationalisation of PACSTI could support a more coordinated national
research and innovation ecosystem.
According to Boamah, the
engagement was frank, constructive and forward-looking, with the next task
being to connect the different policy and institutional components and
translate the discussions into an actionable roadmap.
