President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo on Thursday cut the tape to commission the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory at Kuntunse, near Accra, signaling the dawn of a new era, as he himself put it.
He believes the establishment of the observatory is the beginning in Ghana’s quest to harness the potentials of space science and technology for accelerated socio-economic development of the country.
This new era, the president said, would not witness the deepening of knowledge and skills development in electronics and information and communications technology of Ghanaian scientists, but also enhance their capacity to contribute to the world body of knowledge in the ever expanding field of astronomy and space science.
He recalled how sometime in the year 2007, Ghana, under the leadership of then President John Agyekum Kufuor, took the bold decision to sign up to the African Square Kilometre Array (SKA) partnership agreement – an agreement spearheaded by South Africa, which involved seven other African countries.
This decision, President Akufo-Addo explained, was made at a time when Ghana did not have any programme in astronomy, and was an example of the bold and visionary leadership of the time, its purpose being to propel the country to the enviable league of countries pursuing space science.
With this, Ghana becomes the first partner country of the African Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network to complete the conversion of the 32-metre Intelsat Telecommunications Satellite Earth Station at Kuntunse into a functioning radio telescope.
It is therefore the hope of President Akufo-Addo that the “integration of this radio telescope into the African Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network, in preparation for the second phase construction of the Square Kilometre Array across the African continent, will be successful.”
Delight
Making reference to the recent, successful launch into orbit of GhanaSat-1 – a satellite developed by three students from All Nations University College, a private university in Koforidua, in partnership with their Japanese counterparts at Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) – President Akufo-Addo noted that it is an indication that Ghana abounds in talents and that the government is very pleased to see Ghanaian talents shining, with even greater promise for the future.
The president reiterated the commitment of his government to continue to develop the human capital needed for a sustainable implementation of the country’s space programmes, particularly enhancing the nation’s human resource capacity in astronomy research.
“We have big plans for our national space development programme. These include the establishment of a National Space Data Centre for satellite data collection, management and application. This comprehensive programme will involve the establishment of a national satellite ground receiving station and the launch of satellites,” he said.
Nana Addo stated, “The radio telescope, being launched today, will expand further our frontiers in space science. I am informed that the radio telescope will provide information from distant bodies in the universe that will help us understand the birth and formation of stars, the death of stars and the general structure of the universe.”
He was hopeful that the facility would help Ghanaians appreciate the reality and complexity of global warming and its harmful effects, such as rising sea levels, coastal erosion, erratic rainfall pattern, prolonged and intense dry seasons, desertification and reduction of vegetation cover on the lives of the people.
“It is for this reason that we, as humans and caretakers of our earth, should not compound the pressures on our fragile planet through harmful activities, such as illegal mining and logging and the production of greenhouse gases,” he added.
Whiles recognising the role of science and technology in the socio-economic development of the country, President Akufo-Addo revealed that he had charged the Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to step up efforts in developing a potent science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education model for Ghana, that will stimulate the interest of pupils and students in engineering sciences and technology
Commitment
President Akufo-Addo has since reiterated his pledge of giving significant funding for research and development (R&D) in science, technology and innovation from 0.25% of GDP to 1% of GDP in the short to medium term, and increased further to 2.5% of GDP in the long term.
“It will form the National Science, Technology and Innovation Fund to support R&D in all research institutions and universities, both public and private. At the same time, government will make efforts to increase collaboration among research institutions, industry, especially the private sector, and political authorities at all levels. These measures, I hope, will make the transition from research to product development and industrial production much easier,” he added.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent