The Dean stated this during an Open Forum and Round Table held as part of activities marking the Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa (DSRA), organised by the College of Humanities at the University of Ghana.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Law and Multidisciplinary Research in aid of Science and Technology’, Prof Atuguba said there were varying reasons for the stagnant publications of African scholars.
“First, we do not have the space to write, invent, create and innovate. African scholars have humongous teaching burden and few hands to support the tutoring process; not enough mentors, research assistants, libraries, Information Technology (IT) support and funding”, he said.
Prof Atuguba also noted that, currently, for the publications of African scholars to be acknowledged, there had to be a collaboration with foreign researchers.
“The chances for visibility for most African Scholars are therefore only enhanced when you are invited by Western and Northern Researchers to team up”.
To improve the situation, Prof Atuguba stated that “African scholars can creatively co-opt partners in the places, where the money, time, support and space are, to aid us publish but we must bargain hard for greater intellectual space and visibility”.
More importantly, he advised inter-continental collaboration. “We should work at collaborating with other African scholars, a step that always makes the research excellent and powerful.”
He also encouraged scholars to electronically popularize their work and publish immediately.
“In Africa, Ghana and the University of Ghana, we have an outpouring of science but have not fully harnessed, utilized and incubated it,” Prof Atuguba.
He advised African scholars to make their science available to African countries and students.
Source: GNA
