Navrongo (UE), April 29, (Akapule) GNA- Mr. Boniface Gambila, Upper East Regional Minister, at the weekend challenged Scientists and Technolgists to come out with more innovative research work that would help address the problems hindering the nation's development. He stated this in a speech read for him by the Kassena-Nankana District Chief Excutive, Mr. Emmanuel Chegeweh, at the launching of the Northern Chapter of African Techelogy Policy Studies (ATPS) Network on the Navrongo Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS). The vision of the ATPS is to improve the quality of technology in policy making in Sub-Saharan Africa and to strengthen the region's institutional capacity for the management of technological development. The Regional Minister indicated that as policy makers, evaluators and implementers they needed innovative research work that would giude them in effective policy-making.

He indiacted that the three nothern regions with their numerous problems needed pragmatic rasearch work to resolve them and mentioned the single rainy season in the area with its attendant long period of drought, coupled with the harsh harmattan as cases in point.

Mr. Gambila, therefore, commended the noble ideas of the ATPS, and appealed to its members to develop apprioprate sceintific and technological research aimed at addressing issues confronting the nation, especially the three northern regions. He pointed out that the situation where research findings were shelved in the Universities and some resarch institutions were being addressed, as policy makers had now become more conscious of the value and pontential of research.

"This would help us to solve the intractable problems of our people. This is more relevant for those of us in the Northern Sector of the country where there appears to be abject poverty even though opportunities abound for the tackling of some of the problems", he added.

The Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of UDS, Dr. Isaac Adetude, noted that even though the Faculty of Applied Sciences had turned out many students since its inception, the University was still grappling with varied problems including inadequate human resource. He indicated that most Lecturers in the Faculty had not had long research experiences, and said the ATPS programme aimed at facilitating research exposure, cross fertilzation of ideas, funding of research and building the capacity of staff who would assist the University address its problems.