The limited research has been cited as the core reason for the persistence importation of industrial raw material in Uganda according to the national science foundation in the country
Speaking at the US funded Pearl of Africa lecture series organized at Makerere university in Kampala, national science’s Ane Wampamba said the nations intellectual resource has been dragged down by the limited funding by government will has killed innovation especially in science and technology.
She wondered why the nation given the samples of student innovation continue to import products which can be locally made
“There is a lot of innovation going on in the country. Makerere University has an electric car, but were all the materials researched and made in Uganda or were they imported?” Wampamba asked.
Wampamba said government needed to wake up so as to tap into the intellectual potential of the citizenry which has been left redundant if the nation is to realize full economic transformation
“The only way for any country to develop is to create its own materials. All our raw materials are coming from developed countries. We should be able carry out our own research and create those materials so that they are home-sourced.” she added
Students of Makerere university in 2012 made headlines worldwide after assembling an electronically powered car using a mixture of imported and locally made product.
The car branded KIIRA EV was re branded and launched in Nairobi last year after a series of additional innovations.
