NAIROBI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has called for an increase of funds towards science and technology development in Africa.
With additional funding and good strategies, the governments stand to streamline the continent's development agenda, said Moses Rugut, the Director General of the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation in the Ministry of Education.
"Africa requires a renewed funding commitment to help finance research and development in the countries," Rugut said this on Wednesday evening in Nairobi.
He said that countries that have allocated additional funding towards science like South Africa are currently making progress in all sectors of the economy.
Rugut called for internal funding mechanism as opposed to external support adding that science and technology are key drivers to development globally.
The official noted that technology such as biotechnology is transforming business practices across the globe and Africa also needs to tap from it.
"These technologies have the power to better the lives of poor people in Africa through internal development breakthroughs," he added.
He said that continent stand to benefit from technological and scientific revolutions once strategies are in place to help guide the development in agriculture, education, infrastructure and health.
Rugut said the continent is likely to achieve its global development goals once a sustainable development plan that includes technological development and technology transfer is adopted.
"Today's technological revolutions such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and telecommunication are successful because the countries that developed them have proper strategic funding plans," he added.
He noted that once the government increases funding for science, they will realize sustained economic growth given that the continent is endowed with abundant natural resources.
Margaret Karembu, the Africa Director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) called on agriculture scientists to engage populations while working on a new innovation to help ensure fast adaption.
"For the public to accept and appreciate efforts going into improving food crops, we must fully engage them from the beginning from using terms that might increase fear and anxiety and begin using those that build trust and confidence," Karembu said.
