The Vice Chancellor of Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Professor Kofi Essumang has called on tertiary institutions to collaborate with government and non-governmental actors to conduct innovative research and come out with good proposals for discussions and implementation, that would help the country to overcome its economic challenges, especially to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to him, the world and the country was in the moment of history, faced with serious challenges that confronted the global economy, “from the historically high unemployment rates particularly for young workers to the problems of exclusion and increasing inequality, persistent poverty in rural areas and an unacceptable conditions of work in the informal sector.”

He stated that overcoming these challenges required fresh thinking to elaborate innovative policy proposals, that could provide practical assistance to help solve real problems people faced and hence called on the tertiary institutions to collaborate to conduct research to solve these problems.

Professor Essumang was speaking at the 12th Annual International Applied Research and Technology Fair organised by KTU on the theme: “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Post COVID Era: The Role of Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer.”

The conference, which brought together about 100 participants from academia and industry with shared interest in applied sciences was purposed to provide a platform to discuss research findings, practitioners’ presentation and dialogue on proposals on important developmental and economic issues.

The conference was also purposed to build effective collaboration between academia, industry and other research institutions as well as provide opportunity for businesses to exhibit their products and services and create investment opportunities.

Prof Essumang indicated that the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic lingered on, adding that the pandemic posed considerable challenge to attaining the SDGs.

“Researching into efficient SDG strategies is therefore urgently required to support the recovery process and strengthen comprehensive SDG actions,” he said.

He called on the tertiary institutions to greatly enhance their outreach and join forces with industry and conduct research into the country’s challenges and come out with innovative ideas that could be implemented to help solve the challenges.

For his part, the Acting Director for the Development Coordination Division of the National Development Planning Committee (NPA), Dr Winfred Nelson stated that adequate financing and enough resource mobilization was needed to invest into achieving the SDGs.

According to him, resource mobilization was a bit challenging, as 40 percent of budget needed to finance achieving of the SDGs came from development partners, and revealed that 43 billion was needed annually to implement various policies and programmes to achieving the SDGs.

“2030 is not too far away, seven years from now and hence there is the need to leverage how to get financing for our projects,” he explained and stated that alternative innovative financing, including green financing and encouragement of the private sector to come on board, were being considered to acquire funding to implement programmes and policies to help achieve the SDGs.

The Municipal Chief Executive of New Juaben South Constituency, Mr Isaac Appaw-Gyasi. who was chairman for the conference indicated that even though COVID-19 has had negative effects on achieving the SDGs, the government implemented policies such as digitization drive to move the country into more digitized and cashless economy, among other interventions.

He stated that research, innovation and technology if harnessed would position the country to accelerate its efforts to achieving the SDGs and added that government would continue to explore new measures to meet goals in order to fulfill the needs of the present generation without compromising future ones.

From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua