Accra, June 29, GNA- The Ministry of Environment and Science on Wednesday announced that June 30 would be celebrated as the day of Scientific Renaissance in Africa to focus on the contributions of science and technology for accelerated growth. The 46th Session of the Organization of Africa Unit (OAU) now AU instituted the day to reflect on the immense contribution of African scientists to the development of learning, medicine, numeric, social development and other fields of human endeavour.

This year's celebration is on the theme: "Science and Technology for Sustainable Environmental Sanitation", is to remind the Continent of the choked problems of waste disposal and the need to healthy sanitation practices based on scientific innovations.

A statement signed by Kweku Sersah-Johnson, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, said the solution to the swelling population and alarming depletion of resources needed to support life was in the effective harnessing of science and technology for sustainable development. It said: "One of the greatest problems confronting Africa is its swelling population and the alarming rate of dwindling resources needed to support it.

"Until African governments re-examine their developmental agenda to get its science and technology fundamentals right, the Continent's labour shall be in vain. "Examination of recently developed nations, especially those said to have started the path with Africa, indicate that science and technology has been the basis and cause for their economic and developmental break through."

The statement said although Ghana had its own national vision for poverty reduction aimed at the elimination of extreme poverty, the global community under the UN was dragging Africa along in the programme to reduce poverty by halve by the year 2015 under the Millennium Development Goal. "The Continent and Ghana cannot but rely on our researchers and scientists to provide the needed support for the attainment of the goals."

The Ministry called on scientists to work toward the improvement of agriculture and industry and to understand and apply the complex inter-relationship of nature and science to address the competing interest and needs of society. It also called for the intensification of scientific education both at the secondary and tertiary level for the appropriate development of capacity to ensure that the country had high calibre of technical and scientific personnel needed for the achievement of her development objectives.

The Ministry reiterated its confidence in the scientists of Africa and Ghana for their capability in spearheading the revolution to lift the Continent up in the socio-economic echelons with the appropriate technology. Activities to mark the Day in Ghana include debate in schools; quiz competitions; an exhibition and a national durbar.