By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
GOVERNMENT has bemoaned that the country has for a long time now underplayed science and industrial research which is key towards achieving the development agenda aspired.
Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati said it is for this reason his ministry plans to re-profile science and industrial research as a driver of technology.
Mr Mutati said without science and industrial research, the development agenda for the country would not happen.
“What is embarrassing is that as a country, we have underplayed science and industrial research. Our development agenda will not happen without science and industrial research.
“The country has the basic equipment but there has been a lame approach in terms of converting the capabilities into solutions hence, the ministry will put in more energy in elevating research components of the National Remote Sensing Centre and the National Institute for Scientific Research,” he said.
Mr Mutati also noted that the nuclear research unit the country had been talking about had been misplaced because the critical component which should be focused on should have been dealing with health and agriculture.
He said instead the focus on nuclear research had been centred on energy when the dividends were in health, science.
He therefore said that the ministry’s energy would be put on the nuclear component of health and agriculture.
Meanwhile Mr Mutati said his ministry would embark on having a graduate propelled innovation hub where graduates from institutions could transform and crank their academic ideas into industrial solutions as a matter of priority.
He said while the country had the infrastructure, what has been missing was the ambition and motivation stating that with the establishment of his ministry, he would ensure that science and industrial research was re-profiled to be the key driver of technology.
Mr Mutati said this was taking into consideration that human capabilities and intellect was abundance but that what has been missing was translating it into output.
