Minister NyaLonje says Malawi has done well in setting stage for research
Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje has said Malawi has done well in setting a stage where experts can conduct various fields of research, innovation and technology.
NyaLonje was speaking on Wednesday during the official opening of 4th Research Dissemination Conference in Lilongwe co-organized by National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) and National Planning Commission (NPC).
She said the Tonse Alliance government attaches great importance on research, science, technology and innovation which are among the critical drivers and enablers of the transformation of the country’s economy as outlined in the Malawi 2063.
“There is plenty of evidence that the socio-economic gap that exists between high, middle and low income countries is in large part a reflection of research, technology and innovation divide between those countries. We need to have a constant push to bridge this divide,” she said.
NyaLonje said the ultimate end of research is the production of goods, products and services like ethanol which can revolutionalize how the country finds its fuel, bio-pesticides, fish feeds which the country has capacity to develop.
She therefore encouraged researchers to not only discuss the technical details of the research presented but also the organizational environment that will allow them to move to deliver innovation to people.
NCST Board Chairperson for Professor Emmanuel Kaunda called on the private sector to come up with research and development programmes that can help develop new or improve a range of products and services towards wealth creation and economic growth in the country.
Kaunda said as a country, Malawi cannot afford to continue being on the receiving end of technologies when ‘we have a lot of researchers and academicians in this country’.
The conference was held under the theme Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The Key Drivers to an Inclusively Wealthy and Industrialized Nation taken from the Malawi 2063 which recognizes the critical role research and development plays in the socio-economic development of the country.
Kaunda therefore said his Commission is confident that the outcome of the conference will go a long way in implementing the first 10 year Malawi 2063 Implementation Plan (MIP-1) towards an Inclusively wealthy, self-reliant and Industrialized nation.
NPC representative Joseph Nagoli said together with NCST, they have made a roadmap to make Malawi a knowledge based economy.
“The emphasis on research, innovation and technology is very important for our competitiveness in the region,” he said.
Nagoli said Malawi cannot develop if it does not innovate and have new ideas for its socio-economic growth.
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