Minister denies slashing CSIR budgetary allocation

Environment, Science and Technology Minister, Sherry Ayitey

Ms Sherry Ayitey speaks to Joy News© Copyright myjoyonline

The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Sherry Ayitey has denied slashing the budgetary allocation to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Officials of the CSIR have raised concerns over a purported circular from the minister indicating that their budgetary allocation will be drastically reduced.

According to the circular, the decision was taken allegedly because the CSIR spends about 70 percent of its budget on personnel emoluments at the expense of research.

But the Environment and Science Minister has denied this in an interview with Joy News, saying, she has not endorsed any decision to deduct the CSIR's budget for 2010.

“Government has not cut any budgetary allocation to the CSIR; government hasn't even approved the 2010 budget. How would you say that government is cutting budgetary allocation to the CSIR,” she argued.

Ms Ayitey said “that report is not the real report” and that concerns of a cut in emoluments for the centre are rather surprising.

The minister also indicated that no decision has been taken by government to cut allocations to the CSIR in subsequent years.