Bridget Boakye

"Science Isn’t a Luxury for Developing Countries."

"From the COVID-19 pandemic to intensifying climate shocks, a series of crises has exposed the risks of depending on wealthy countries to deliver scientific and technological solutions. If developing economies are to respond effectively to crises and take control of their development, they must build their own research ecosystems."

"For decades, the conventional wisdom has been that the fastest route to development lies in the adoption of foreign technologies, not independent innovation. Development institutions and policymakers have treated basic science as a luxury that only advanced economies could afford."

"For LMICs, they argued, the cultivation of scientific capacity – a slow and expensive process – would consume resources that should be allocated to pressing needs like poverty reduction, food security, and infrastructure; they are thus better off importing technologies and solutions from abroad. But this logic has been upended in recent years. A series of developments – including the COVID-19 pandemic, intensifying climate shocks, and proliferating barriers to trade and technology transfers – has exposed the risks of dependence on imported science."

"It is now clear that if LMICs are to gain control over their own development agendas, respond effectively to crises, and adapt global knowledge to local realities, they must build their own dynamic research ecosystems. This is not a detour on the path to development or an inconvenient necessity born of external challenges."

"Far from distracting from urgent needs, investment in basic science can enable countries to meet those needs, by giving rise to new industries, creating high-quality jobs, strengthening public services, and attracting the private capital needed to sustain growth and innovation."