Commercialise research for economic growth – Federation

THE Private Sector Federation has underscored the critical need for collaboration among African governments, the private sector and other key players to commercialise research and drive development across the continent. 

A Senior Programme Officer at the Private Sector Federation, Wisdom Adongo explained that transforming research into practical solutions was essential to addressing Africa's major challenges and promoting economic growth.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have amplified the urgency of finding homegrown solutions to economic disruptions, making research commercialisation more crucial than ever. 

By working together, African stakeholders can ensure that research benefits industries, improve livelihoods and strengthen the continent's position in the global market.

Mr Adongo was speaking at the media launch of the 2025 Africa Research and Innovation Commercialisation Summit (ARICS) last Thursday in Accra.

“We must make sure that research does not stay on the shelves, but commercialise them to benefit the private sector. The impact of COVID-19 and the Ukraine-Russia War has taught us as Africans that we cannot continue to rely on external resources and support to solve our problems. 

It emphasises the need for the private sector, the government and other stakeholders within our African continent to work together through research to be able to come up with practical solutions and home grown solutions that would solve our needs and problems as Africans,” he said.

ARICS 2025

On the theme: “From Labs to Markets: Scaling Industry Uptake for Innovation and Research Outcomes,” the summit scheduled for March 13 to 15, 2025, is being organised by the Heritors Labs Limited Ghana in partnership with the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund with support from the UK International Development.

It would bring together Africa’s leading innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to drive strategic discussions/partnerships on research-to-commercialisation (R2C) pathways, explore transformative policies and advance research initiatives that evolve into commercially viable ventures or innovations across various sectors.

AfCFTA

Mr Adongo mentioned the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as one key area of focus which has the potential to revolutionise trade across the region. 

According to him, adding value to exports through innovation and research was critical to maximising the benefits of the AfCFTA.

This approach, he said, would not only boost intra-African trade but also ensure that African products were competitive on a global scale.

Food security 

The Deputy Director-General (DDG) for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Ghana, Marian Dorcas Quain, stressed the importance of using research to solve real-world problems, particularly in agriculture. 

"We are more than capable of producing all our food, we want our innovations to be commercialised to feed ourselves and the world,” she said, highlighting the continent's potential to grow its crops and reduce dependence on imports. 

She further cited the example of Tanzania, which is now exporting surplus food to Southern Africa as a model for West Africa to follow.

Driving growth 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Heritors Labs, Derrydean Dadzie, indicated that the summit sought to build actionable pathways to transform African research into solutions that would drive the growth of the continent and bring better living to its people.

He emphasised that ARICS 2025 will serve as a driving force for substantial change, aiming to revitalise dormant industrial players in Africa, while highlighting their essential role in promoting and expanding the implementation of research and innovation findings across the continent.

He stressed that Africa could transform research results into drivers of economic growth and development, adding that “we need not to relent on but rather push through with all hands on deck.

It is only when the industry steps into its pivotal role that they can unlock the great potential within our research and innovation value chains."