Ghana needs applied researchers to solve problems — University don
The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the Cape Coast Technical University, Prof. Emmanuel Kwamina Bamfo-Agyei, says Ghana needs technologists to improve the country's economy.
He said more industries should be established to absorb the unemployed youth.
At the second edition of the postgraduate research conference of Cape Coast Technical University on “Impact of Applied Research on National Development”, Prof. Bamfo-Agyei said the impact of applied research extended far beyond technological advancement.
He said they reshaped economic landscapes by creating new industries and revolutionising existing ones.
He argued that they influenced policy decisions by providing evidence-based solutions to complex social challenges.
Prof. Bamfo-Agyei said they improved healthcare outcomes by translating biomedical discoveries into clinical applications, while enhancing the quality of life by addressing fundamental human needs and aspirations.
He said the greatest testament to applied research was not found in academic citations or patent applications, although these were important metrics.
Instead, he insisted, they were found in the farmer who harvested a drought-resistant crop, the patient who received a life-saving treatment, the community that gained access to clean energy, and ultimately found in the better world built together through the purposeful application of knowledge.
Appeal
The academic appealed to postgraduate researchers at the technical universities to focus on applied research since they had the depth of knowledge to understand complex problems and the creative vision to imagine innovative solutions.
This combination, he said, made them powerful agents of change in their respective fields.
The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Prof. Humphrey Danso, stressed the importance of applied researchers.
He said applied research was not just academic, but a driver of national progress, reiterating that by linking knowledge to practice, nations would achieve sustainable development, economic resilience, and social empowerment.
Prof. Danso appealed to the government, industry, and academia to prioritise applied research as a strategic pillar of development.
He appealed to the government to invest in research. He noted that research should not be seen only as a promotion but as a means of solving society's challenges.
The acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Cape Coast Technical University, Prof. Emmanuel Kwaw, revealed that the university had established a research fund to assist researchers, and noted that it would soon be extended to postgraduate students.
He urged the students to take their research seriously.
Honours
Two postgraduate students were named the best researchers and selected to attend a conference at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa in September this year.
They were John Arthur, who presented on the Impact of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) on the Quantity Surveying Profession: Achieving Sustainability in the
Construction Industry, and Jennifer Senanu Dzodzegbe, who presented on Cost Overruns in Building Construction Projects.
The conference brought together 90 postgraduate students offering a Master's in Technology in Civil Engineering and Construction Management.
