African can achieve food security- UK scientist

Cape Coast, Mar. 23, GNA - Professor Sir Edwin Southern, the founder
of "Kirkhouse Trust," a research foundation in the United Kingdom, on
Friday said Africa could achieve food security with requisite and
adequate research.
He said the Trust was sponsoring some scientists in Burkina Faso,
Cameroon and Nigeria to research into cowpea as part of their
countries' food security programme.
Prof Sir Southern said this when he and the Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Cape Coast (UCC), Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow
Obeng, inaugurated a molecular biology laboratory for the
UCC.Molecular biology is a branch of biology that deals with the study
of the chemical and physical principles associated with composition,
properties and activities of molecules in living cells.
The laboratory will enable undergraduates of the School of
biological sciences to undertake research in that field.The Trust has
provided equipment, chemicals and consumables worth 20,000 pounds for
the laboratory and is also sponsoring some members of that faculty to
receive training in cowpea genomic in Virginia in the United States.
Prof. Sir Southern said the Trust was sponsoring research
projects in HIV/AIDS and food security, the two major problems in
Africa and expressed the hope that the laboratory would help bring
about solutions to help improve crop yields.Rev. Prof. Obeng thanked
the Trust for its support and repeated calls on science tutors to make
the study of science more interesting and relevant to enhance the
interest of students.He said the study of science and technology is
the bedrock of development and therefore if more students develop
interest in those subjects it would accelerate development.
Rev Prof. Obeng said the Trust would soon sponsor some students
for postgraduate studies in molecular biology and biotechnology to
enable the UCC "have a strong research team" for crop research and
possibly, coordinate the cowpea research programme for Ghana.
23 March 07