The minister said this when he cut the sod to commission Ghana’s first ever Museum of Light and Light based Technologies, in Accra. The ceremony was performed along-side the observation of the International Day of Light and Light Based Technology.

He observed that it was important to approach problem solving with the cause and effect principle, or by using the scientific approach, because that guaranteed logical and trustworthy solutions. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said once the world was currently driven by science and technology, one core requirement for any country to progress, was through becoming proficient in the application of science and technology.

“The government would soon come out with a policy where every ministry would approach its work scientifically, he said. Touching on the celebration, he said “we are here to tell the world that many things are driven by light, especially in the present electronic world that we live in.

He said apart from light being a basic need, it is used in several areas of human endeavour and in nature, and noted there was the need for extensive education and information on the subject, towards the advancement and betterment of human existence.

Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education, recalled that the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies(IYL), was proposed on the floor of UNESCO by Ghana, by a team that comprised the Ghana National Commission for UNESCO, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, the African Physical Society and Mexico.

He mentioned the rest as the Russia Federation, and New Zealand Delegations to the 190th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board. Dr. Opoku-Prempeh said upon the success of the world-wide celebration of the event, Ghana and other proponents further moved for the sustenance of the momentum of the IYL by presenting again to UNESCO during the 200th session of the Executive Board in 2016, the need to observe an International Day of Light on May 16th every year, starting from 2018.

“We are happy it also received world-wide support.  The Day of Light is Ghana’s project and I hope it will be religiously observed by the scientific community, as a way of promoting the study of the basic sciences, especially amongst girls and women,” he said. Mr. Kwame Sowu, Chairman of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, said the Ghana Museums and Management Board (GMMB) was working on a new policy that would allow the GMMB to collect items from organizations and private individuals for exhibition in the country’s museums.

“When this is finally rolled out, individuals and organizations will go through a simple criteria, pay a fee and have their memorable items of significance displayed in our museums for exhibition, preservation and education,” he said. Another initiative being worked on by the GMMB, Mr. Sowu said, was the provision of an International Museum Space to enable countries with diplomatic missions in Ghana have their cultural and other relevant material exhibited for cross “fertilization” of knowledge between Ghana and other nations.

“This way, the student from a basic school in Adabraka, Kyebi or Axim will have the opportunity to visit a German stand in our museum and learn about the history and growth stages of Mercedes Benz or BMW for instance,” he said.

Mr. Sowu said the newly commissioned museum, would have science educators who would educate students and other people who would go there to learn from the exhibits there. He said the museum would not be allowed to remain a dead building of archives, but would be maintained as an active center of learning, that would inform and educate students and the general public, through its exhibits.

An exhibition was held within the newly commissioned museum to show-case scientific devices, many of which were Ghanaian innovations, such as a robotic excavator and lighting systems of different kinds, amongst several others.

Themed, “Light for Life”, this year’s International Day of Light, was hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and its agency, the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.