SGCI News

Officials say other sources of funding are available, pending the inauguration of Ghana’s $50 million research fund. Fast playback Ghana Research Fund not yet fully operational But senior officials claim…

Officials say other sources of funding are available, pending the inauguration of Ghana’s $50 million research fund.

Fast playback
Ghana Research Fund not yet fully operational
But senior officials claim that funds for research are available from other sources.
IOSRS partnerships also increase research funding in the region

By Chioma Umeha

Sources of funding are available to support innovation in Ghana, despite delays in setting up the new research fund, according to a senior official.

The Ghanaian government has committed to releasing $50 million in initial capital for the  Ghana Research Fund (GNRF), created in accordance with the Ghana Research Fund Act (Act 1056), which was passed in 2020.

However, this fund, which will provide financial support for university research and research organizations, is still not operational.

Cephas Adjei Mensah, Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, New Technologies and Innovation, said that in the meantime, the government was releasing funds through the Ghana Higher Education Commission to support research and development.

He did not specify when the new research fund would start awarding grants, but added that the Research Granting Agencies Initiative (RGIA) had prompted the government to commit to releasing additional funds for research.

 IOSRS is a multilateral initiative set up to strengthen the institutional skills of public funding agencies for scientific research in Sub-Saharan Africa, to provide financial support for evidence-based research and policies that will contribute to economic and social development in the region.

” Thanks to IOSRS, we are more involved and active in the research field, as we have the opportunity to co-organize activities and award research grants with a commitment to do more ,” said Cephas Mensah, also the  IOSRS representative in Ghana.

” We have finalized several initiatives for science, new technologies and innovation, such as the Ghana-United Kingdom Strategic Partnership, the Ghana-Korea program, the agreement with the South African Research Foundation and several grants from the Global Research Council. “

Cephas Mensah added that, through IOSRS, Ghana has collaborated with other councils in Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda and Zambia.

A researcher at the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute. The Ghanaian government pledged US$50 million as seed money for the Ghana National Research Fund. Copyright: Nora Castaneda-Alvarez/Crop Trust (CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED).
A researcher from the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute. The Ghanaian government has pledged $50 million in initial capital for the Ghana Research Fund. CreditNora Castaneda-Alvarez/Crop Trust (CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED).

He added that IOSRS had provided technical and financial assistance for the creation of the Ghana Research Fund, and had helped to improve the quality of research and innovation indicators.

” In addition, we have access to global experts who are helping us to set up the Ghana Advisory Board for Science, New Technologies and Innovation, as well as the Innovation Coordination Agency ,” he added. 

In November 2023, at the annual IOSRS forum organized by the Kenya Research Fund (NRF-KE), members of the various councils praised the impact of IOSRS on their research management systems.

Wilfred Dennis, Head of Research, Statistics and Information Management at Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, New Technologies and Innovation, sees IOSRS as making a significant contribution to improving Ghana’s science system, and supporting the research and development of new technologies, products and services to improve people’s lives and livelihoods. 

” The successes recorded by the various IOSRS bodies and by the training sessions organized regularly by the project management team and the collaborative technical agencies play a leading role, encouraging the Ministry to intervene with the government to ensure that the Ghana Research Fund is operational “, he added. 





Categories



Related News

SGCI Ghana

Upcoming SGCI-supported events

Globelics International Conference 2025: Innovation for Sustainable and Inclusive Development to Build Resilience for Global Challenges The 2025 Globelics International Conference will take place from 24–26 November 2025at the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Pretoria, South Africa. This year’s conference focuses on innovation for sustainable…

Cross section of SGCI members and stateholders

Why Africa needs its own playbook for measuring STIs

As Africa moves to implement the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2034), one major obstacle is the absence of reliable data. Only three countries, Egypt, South Africa, and Tanzania, have consistently collected national research and development (R&D) and innovation statistics since 2007. Without…

A cross section of SGCI members at the 2025 all partners meeting.

Call for expert consultancy: Intersectional dimension of gender-sensitive drought management in East Africa

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) invite qualified experts to contribute to a scoping study and assessment report on “The intersectional dimension of gender-sensitive drought management in East Africa.” The consultancy will provide technical input for…

SGCI funded projects

agriculture on a farm

Rwanda’s integrated approach to sustainable agriculture and nutrition

Project Titles & Institution Areas of Research Number of Projects being funded Project Duration Grant Amount In-Kind Distribution Council Collaboration with other councils