Minister announces funds to fight COVID-19 and STI fund

Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Adama Diaware has announced the government will release XOF1 billion (US$1.73 million) to support research into fighting the coronavirus, and in a separate development has introduced a parliamentary bill to create and organise a science, technology and innovation (STI) fund.

During the daily press briefing on the pandemic, Diawara said: “The government has made available XOF1 billion for researchers to carry out work against COVID-19,” reported Fraternité Matin of Abidjan. He said the finance would not only help researchers develop medication against the virus, but also look for clear scientific answers to basic questions in the fight against the disease.

He said that, as well as government funding, the sector would benefit from support from the strategic scientific research support programme, which would finance 15 research projects up to XOF197 million covering medical, technological, sociological and economic aspects of the work against COVID-19.

A few days earlier, Diawara presented draft legislation for a new science, technology and innovation fund to the parliamentary commission for research, science, technology and the environment.

Diawara said creation of the fund was “indispensable for the socio-economic development of the Côte d’Ivoire”; and that “all emerging economies are economies of knowledge, growth of which is essentially drawn from research and technological innovation”, reported Fraternité Matin.

He said the reforms and the government’s investment would improve access to higher education, quality and relevance of courses, and the training of high quality, competent and competitive graduates, to carry out scientific and technological research to serve the development needs of the country.

The parliamentary committee unanimously approved the bill. – Compiled by Jane Marshall.

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.