Funds available” for research and innovation in Ghana

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

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.

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.