Ghana risks industrial stagnation if research fails to reach industry – Zanetor

Environment, Science and Technology Minister Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has warned that Ghana risks industrial stagnation if universities and research institutions fail to translate scientific discoveries into practical solutions for businesses and industry.

She said the disconnect between academic research and commercial application was limiting the country’s ability to turn scientific knowledge into industrial growth, job creation and economic development.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings was speaking at the opening of the 2026 Oliver Reginald (O.R.) Tambo Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) Conference at the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC), University of Ghana, Legon.

The three-day conference is being held under the theme, “Building Science and Enterprise in Africa: Translating Academic Research into Industrial and Business Impact.”

The Minister said Africa had considerable intellectual talent and scientific expertise, but much of the knowledge generated by researchers was not reaching the businesses and communities that needed it.

“Too much of the knowledge we generate does not progress sufficiently from the laboratory to the marketplace, from the research paper to the production line or from the university campus to the communities and industries that need it,” she said.

She questioned the value of scientific discoveries that failed to improve people's lives.

“We must therefore confront an uncomfortable but necessary question. What is the value of scientific discovery if the people who need its benefits cannot access it?” she asked.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said collaboration between academia, industry and government had often been weakened by limited interaction, competing priorities and inadequate coordination.

She noted that universities sometimes conducted research without sufficient knowledge of industry's needs, while businesses sought technological solutions without knowing what local research institutions had already developed.

The Minister called for stronger partnerships based on joint research, shared investment and accountability for results.

She also urged African governments to work towards the African Union's target of allocating one per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to research and development.

“ These are not merely expenditures, they are strategic investments in our industrial development, competitiveness, job creation and prosperity,” she stressed.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings further appealed to the O.R. Tambo Foundation, South Africa's National Research Foundation and Canada's International Development Research Centre to support a new phase of ORTARChI.

She said the next phase should expand the initiative's reach beyond its seven participating countries: Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and Ghana.

The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Tsonam Akpeloo, said the disconnect between universities and businesses was affecting manufacturers' ability to develop and use locally sourced raw materials.

He said manufacturers continued to rely on imports from China and other countries, despite efforts to develop domestic alternatives.

“Academia has to do more to produce researchable information that is needed for industry. But because of that significant disconnect between academia and industry, we see very little result of research-based business,” he said.

Mr Akpeloo said the situation was affecting industrial development, adding that manufacturers needed research institutions to help them identify and address production challenges.

“Because without research, business can only achieve very little. Research remains a foundation of any industrial accomplishment,” he said.

He said the AGI wanted collaboration to move beyond the signing of memoranda of understanding to practical arrangements that brought researchers, students and businesses together.

The association, he explained, wanted university students to engage directly with industrial establishments to understand production challenges and help identify areas requiring further research.

He also called for faculty members to work alongside businesses throughout the research process to ensure that findings addressed real industrial needs.

“We want to make sure that faculty is not only telling us but they are actually with us along the way. That way, their research findings will be useful for what we need. Currently, it appears that researchers keep their research findings far away from what industry needs. We need to deal with that,” he said.

The three-day conference has brought together research chairs, policymakers, funders, industry representatives and venture capitalists to discuss financing mechanisms and partnerships for converting African research into commercially viable enterprises.

The discussions are expected to focus on how universities, businesses and governments can work together to ensure that research produces practical applications, supports industrial competitiveness and creates economic opportunities.

The calls from the Minister and industry representatives highlight the need to connect research priorities more closely with production challenges and strengthen the pathways through which scientific discoveries can become marketable products and services.