Acting Administrator of the Ghana National Research Fund, Prof Abigail Opoku Mensah, has underscored the critical role of science journalists in bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening of a four-day Capacity Building for Media Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Reportage workshop in Accra on Tuesday, March 10, Prof. Mensah said the disconnect between what scientists know and what the public understands is largely a communication challenge rather than a failure of science itself.
According to her, one of the major challenges facing the scientific community is the inability to effectively translate complex technical knowledge into information that the general public can easily understand and apply.
“The gap between what science knows and what the public understands is not primarily a scientific failure. It is, to a significant measure, a communication failure,” she stated.
Prof. Mensah explained that science journalists and reporters covering science, technology and innovation serve as a vital link between researchers and society.
She noted that their work ensures that scientific discoveries and technological advancements are communicated in ways that are accessible, engaging and meaningful to the public.
“The science journalist or STI reporter is the bridge across that gap. You are not a peripheral figure in Ghana’s knowledge ecosystem. You are a critical infrastructure of that ecosystem,” she said.
She stressed that the role of science journalists is as important as the work carried out in laboratories, the research grants provided to scientists, and the publications produced at the end of research projects.
Prof. Mensah said the Ghana National Research Fund was proud to support the initiative because it aligns directly with the institution’s mandate under the Ghana National Research Fund Act, 2022 (Act 1056).
She explained that the law establishing the fund not only requires it to finance research but also to promote the transfer of technology and knowledge, as well as the implementation of research findings for national development.
According to her, facilitating the communication and application of scientific knowledge is therefore a statutory responsibility of the fund.
“We are not just here to provide funding for researchers. Technology transfer and knowledge dissemination are equally important, and they form part of the legal obligations embedded in the architecture of the fund,” she added.,
The training programme aims to strengthen the capacity of journalists to effectively report on science, technology and innovation, thereby enhancing public understanding and engagement with scientific developments in Ghana.
The workshop is being organised under the UK–Ghana Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy by the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL), KNUST, in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).
The United Kingdom and Ghana are strengthening their collaboration in STI as part of efforts to deepen existing partnerships and promote research-driven development. Both countries already maintain numerous ongoing collaborations across areas such as financial technology, agriculture, and medical research. The partnership is anchored on the shared belief that science and innovation are essential for improving health, prosperity and national security, and aims to expand the number, quality, and impact of joint initiatives between institutions in the two countries.
The strategy seeks to improve coordination among actors in the STI ecosystem and remove barriers that limit collaboration. It focuses on four key pillars: strengthening ecosystem coordination, promoting knowledge and skills exchange, supporting the co-creation of partnerships, and encouraging the commercialisation and scaling up of research outputs.
Priority sectors identified for cooperation include ICT and frontier technologies, health and pharmaceuticals, education, agriculture and food processing, and manufacturing, with both governments working with universities, research institutions and private sector partners to implement the initiative.
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