Pay scientists well, but fund health, tech innovation better

President Museveni has a strong belief in the place of science in our economy. He has often advocated more pay for scientists to the point of ridiculing humanities.

While we must applaud the President’s stance given how significant health workers have proven crucial during the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled the global economic order, there is a lot more to be desired. We all want to see our doctors paid well to keep them serving the country.

But we must advocate and champion even more innovation in science and technology. We cannot pay scientists more and ignore the very foundations upon which their works thrive. Innovations and research are the rungs every nation uses to climb up the development rankings.

Unfortunately, in Uganda, there is minimal government contribution and painfully low interest in innovation. The lack of systematic support and a national innovation strategy affects the ability of innovators to go beyond the prototypes they design.

For instance, Makerere University scientists reportedly designed ventilator prototype. Ventilators are crucial in treatment of severe Covid-19 respiratory complications.

The need for more ventilators had seen global automotive manufacturers such as General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, and Ferrari switch their plants to manufacturing of the essential gadgets. For a country with just 12 functional ICUs equipped with a total of 55 functional beds (55 ventilators), it would be surprising to know what the government thinks of the efforts from the local scientists behind these ventilators.

Probably a cursory glance and turning back to the market for $25,000 (Shs95m) ventilators? Here was and still is a chance to bolster the country’s surge capacity with low-cost locally made ventilators to provide critical care in case demand increased.

Students from College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology at Makerere invented facemask with an inbuilt sanitiser. But the president asked the country to buy masks from a garments maker. Where does this leave those innovators?

Inadequate funding remains a major challenge to the development of a vibrant research and innovation infrastructure in Uganda. In the absence of private sector funding and competitive grants, public and private universities and research institutes depend on dwindling subsidies and unpredictable donor support.

Innovation processes do not realise immediate returns. A successful innovation goes through numerous stages that last at least a year.

During this period, the innovators require support. Although there is some funding when it comes to research at public universities, nothing is given to private institutions.

The government is supposed to help universities to produce more and better qualified scientists and relevant research, and to encourage use of these outputs to improve productivity, thus enhancing science and technology-led growth. Instead, where local innovators have been successful and their products tried and tested, there has been a preference for imported solutions.

Local innovations such as Safe Boda (never mind that the president did not seem to have an idea what they are until they donated to Covid-9 task force), Yoza, Run for Your Life, Clinic Master, and WinNsenga have made their way onto the market.

WinNsenga is a mobile phone app that performs pregnancy ultrasound test and helps detect any possible problems. Imagine harnessing such an innovation, how much would medical health gain?

Global economies are sinking funds into innovation and research to scale heights we only dream about. But here, we are always dishing out money to Full Figure, Bebe Cool, Catherine Kusasira and clergymen.