Civil Social Organisation Alliance for Science Ghana in a letter released yesterday to the President, appealed that he makes 2021 a year of science.

According to the group, 2020 was an eye-opener from the corona virus pandemic and the distasteful effects that accompanied it.  The letter read “…For us in Ghana, 2021 should be the year in which we take science, research and technological innovation a lot more seriously as a nation. That is the only way we can squarely face the tough realities that 2021 and beyond is bringing our way.

It posited that science has played a vital role in the management and recoveries from the virus and so at least 1% of the country’s GDP instead of the current 0.3% should spent be on science and technology.

The group that also promotes access to agricultural innovations as a means of ensuring food security, also touched on food security and mentioned that it is time to realize full potential of research investments made to introduce biotech crops in Ghana.

In a separate letter addressed to their partners and friends, the Association added that 2021 should be the year that government, non-government organisations and the public take science seriously.

Read full letters below.

Letter to Friends and Partners:

Monday 18 th January 2021
Dear Friends and Partners,
WHY 2021 SHOULD BE A YEAR OF SCIENCE
We bring you warm regards and wishes of a happy New Year from Team Alliance for Science Ghana. We
wish you an outstanding year in which all your hopes and aspirations will gloriously come alive. Afehyia
pa.
2020 was by all standards a difficult year. COVID-19 battered the world from coast to coast, killing about
2 million people and infecting more than 90 million others. Young and old, males and females, fit and
strong, all struggled to cope with not just the impact of virus on their health, but with the disruption it
caused to our daily lives. Schools closed down, airports were shut, businesses folded up, and we couldn’t
even congregate to show love to one another.
Our food systems came under even more severe strain in 2020. The Food and Agricultural Organization
and other United Nations agencies estimated that between 83 million and 132 million people were
going to get hungry in 2020 as a result of the economic recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But thanks to the extra-ordinary abilities of human ingenuity, we stood up to the challenge. A vaccine
that protects the populace against COVID-19 which ordinarily should take up to 10 years to develop was
produced in less than one year. Countries that were heavily dependent on importation of tools and
equipment to keep their health systems running suddenly found the creativity to produce respirators
and masks and PPEs to save their people from the jaws of death. Today, we are far from getting out of
the woods. But the path that will take us all out of this is much clearer now. Thanks to the work of
science.

For us in Ghana, 2021 should be the year in which we take science, research and technological
innovation a lot more seriously as a nation. That is the only way we can squarely face the tough realities
that 2021 and beyond is bringing our way. Can you imagine what Ghana would have been like if the
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research had not been built in 1979 at the University of Ghana,
and the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research at KNUST in Kumasi was non-existent? Can you
imagine if as a nation we had not invested in our medical practitioners and trained them adequately in
the handling of infectious diseases? COVID-19 would have wiped millions or more people off.

That is why we are appealing to government to make 2021 a year of science. First, government should
make the necessary social and financial investment in research that will directly help make COVID-19
vaccines available in the country. It’s gratifying to hear from the Ghana Health Service that it is working
with international partners to procure some of the vaccines for the populace. But Ghana and Africa need
to get more deeply involved in the production of the vaccine itself. 2021 is the year we should make that
happen, and at least begin the process. More than 190 COVID-19 vaccines are currently under
development across the world according to World Health Organisation. None is being done in Africa.

The closest Africa has gotten to working on Covid-19 vaccines is South Africa undertaking clinical/human
trials of vaccines produced in USA, and UK, and Egypt preparing to undertake trials of Covid-19 vaccines
produced in China. Ghana should lead the way and work towards rallying the rest of Africa to produce
our own vaccines as well.

Secondly, Ghana currently spends about 0.3% of the country’s gross domestic products (GDP) on science
and technology despite a recommendation from an African Union that all countries on the continent
spend at least 1% of GDP on science and technology. Government should endeavour to operationalize
the National Research Fund and dedicate at least 1% of GDP to research, majority of which should focus
on the physical sciences.

And thirdly, more needs to be done to improve food security and make Ghana less dependent on
imported food. Following the passage of the National Biosafety Act in 2011, a lot of work has been
ongoing by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to introduce various biotech crops.
Now is the time for us to realise the full potential of those research investments.
Fundamentally, 2021 should be the year that government, non-governmental organisations and the
public take science more seriously. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to make 2021 the
year of science. We are turning this into an open letter to the president of the country which we will publish soon.

We look forward to working with you all this year on a bunch of activities we intend rolling out to
empower citizens with scientific knowledge, including massive education on vaccines, which we will roll
out soon.
Thank you
Regards,
Team Alliance for Science Ghana

Letter to the President:

Monday 18 th January 2021
His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,
Jubilee House,
Accra.

Dear His Excellency,
MAKE 2021 A YEAR OF SCIENCE
We bring you warm regards and wishes of a happy New Year from Team Alliance for Science Ghana. We
wish you an outstanding year in which all your hopes and aspirations will gloriously come alive.
Afehyia pa.
2020 was by all standards a difficult year. COVID-19 battered the world from coast to coast, killing about
2 million people and infecting more than 90 million others. Young and old, males and females, fit and
strong, all struggled to cope with not just the impact of the virus on their health, but with the disruption
it caused to our daily lives. Schools closed down, airports were shut, businesses folded up, and we
couldn’t even congregate to show love to one another.
Our food systems came under even more severe strain in 2020. The Food and Agricultural Organization
and other United Nations agencies estimated that between 83 million and 132 million people were
going to get hungry in 2020 as a result of the economic recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But thanks to the extra-ordinary abilities of human ingenuity, we stood up to the challenge. A vaccine
that protects the populace against COVID-19 which ordinarily should take up to 10 years to develop was
produced in less than one year. Countries that were heavily dependent on importation of tools and
equipment to keep their health systems running suddenly found the creativity to produce respirators
and masks and PPEs to save their people from the jaws of death. Today, we are far from getting out of
the woods. But the path that will take us all out of this is much clearer now. Thanks to the work of
science.

For us in Ghana, 2021 should be the year in which we take science, research and technological
innovation a lot more seriously as a nation. That is the only way we can squarely face the tough realities
that 2021 and beyond is bringing our way. His Excellency, can you imagine what Ghana would have been
like if the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research had not been built in 1979 at the University
of Ghana, and the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research at KNUST in Kumasi was non-existent? Can
you imagine if as a nation we had not invested in our medical practitioners and trained them adequately
in the handling of infectious diseases? COVID-19 would have wiped millions or more people off.

His Excellency, that is why we are appealing to you and your government to make 2021 a year of
science. First, government should make the necessary social and financial investment in research that
will directly help make COVID-19 vaccines available in the country. It was gratifying to hear you disclose
that the Ghana Health Service is working with international partners to procure some of the vaccines for
the populace. But Ghana and Africa need to get more deeply involved in the production of the vaccine
itself. 2021 is the year we should make that happen, and at least begin the process. More than 190
COVID-19 vaccines are currently under development across the world according to World Health
Organisation. None is being done in Africa. The closest Africa has gotten to working on Covid-19 vaccines
is South Africa undertaking clinical/human trials of vaccines produced in USA, and UK. Ghana should
lead the way and work towards rallying the rest of Africa to produce our own vaccines as well.

Secondly, Ghana currently spends about 0.3% of the country’s gross domestic products (GDP) on science
and technology despite a recommendation from African Union that all countries on the continent spend
at least 1% of GDP on science and technology. Government should endeavour to operationalize the
National Research Fund and dedicate at least 1% of GDP to research, majority of which should focus on
the physical sciences.
And thirdly, more needs to be done to improve food security and make Ghana less dependent on
imported food. Following the passage of the National Biosafety Act in 2011, a lot of work has been
ongoing by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to introduce various biotech crops.
Now is the time for us to realise the full potential of those research investments.

His Excellency, 2021 should be the year that you and your government work to make science and
technology the pivot around which our development revolves.
Accept our sincerest regards His Excellency.
Thank you
Yours faithfully,
Abigail Akoto – 0241273208
Dennis Baffour-Awuah – 0276938495
For Team Alliance for Science Ghana